Home Is Where the Heart Is
by photogirl894
Summary: Airaním, a young Dwarf woman from the Blue Mountains, has been away for thirty years. Gandalf finds her and asks her to join the quest to take back Erebor. She accepts, knowing she'll be reunited with the Dwarf King who raised her, Thorin Oakenshield, and her two best friends, Fili and Kili. But for how long can she keep her past a secret? A Kili/OC story! **PART 2 IN DECEMBER!**
1. Where It All Started

**Hey ya'll!**

**So this is my first fanfic and I figured I would give it a go! This is based off "The Hobbit" movie (which is my new favorite movie by the way) I'll definitely try and get new chapters posted as often as possible. I get pretty busy with school and work and such, so...who knows?**

**And this is a Kili/OC story! :) There's also a couple of close relationships with Fili and Thorin as well!**

**Enjoy! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, Airaním. (Prounounced "era-neem")**

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The sun was slowly fading over the foothills of Middle-Earth, causing the sky to be illuminated in an array of pinks, oranges and scarlet's. This was a sight that Airaním absolutely loved; that made her feel at peace and content with life. The young Dwarf woman from the Blue Mountains had had the opportunity to see this same sunset from many different places throughout Middle-Earth, having been travelling on her own for a little over thirty years.

All her life, Airaním, or "Aira" was she was so often called, had always dreamed of adventure and seeing the rest of the world she lived in, despite the good life she had. Before the attack of Smaug the Terrible, her father, Rimedur, had been a loyal servant to Thror, King Under the Lonely Mountain, as well as one of his grandson, Prince Thorin's, good friends. After the death of her father, Aira had been taken in by Thorin as a child as part of Rimedur's dying wish. Due to these circumstances, she had the privilege of growing up in the care of the King-in-exile and becoming the best of friends with his wild nephews, Fili and Kili, who sparked her desire for adventure.

She had departed quite suddenly thirty years past, no longer wanting to hold back that desire. While her last thirty years had been…eventful, so to speak, she had been starting to miss her friends and her home. Now, here she was, travelling to the Shire, getting ready to embark another adventure. As she sat, rocking back and forth on her pony, Aira's thoughts wandered a few days back to the night where it had all started.

* * *

_She was staying at inn somewhere in Eregion, seeking rest from riding most of the day. Only days before she had left the kingdom of Rohan, unsure of what to do or where to go. Having no luck in thinking of other places she could travel to, Aira realized that perhaps it was time for her to finally return home to the Blue Mountains. After a day's worth of riding, she had come across the inn and decided to stop for the night. Her pony had been left in the stables, her room had been prepared after her arrival and now she was sitting alone at a table in a corner, enjoying a small meal and a refreshing pint of ale. Being a Dwarf, a certain love for food and ale came naturally and she was not ashamed of it. She had been so focused on satisfying her growling stomach that she did not see someone approach and seat themselves down at her table._

_"Dear Airaním, I am glad to see that you are well," said a deep and raspy voice that Aira recognized._

_She looked up from her plate and saw an old man wearing a gray cloak, pointed hat of the same shade and holding a long, wooden staff sitting across from her, his eyes gleaming in the torchlight. She knew this man well, having met him some years ago._

_"Gandalf!" she exclaimed. "I didn't even hear you approach. What are you doing here?"_

_"Looking for you," he answered._

_Surprised to hear this, Aira looked at him, puzzled, and replied, "Well, you've found me, obviously. What can I do for you, old friend?"_

_The grey wizard set his staff up against the wall next to him, moaning quietly as if contemplating what to say. He turned back to Aira and said in a soft tone, "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure with myself along with a group of companions. I know you have a knack for adventure and thought it would be nice of you to join us."_

_Aira let out a small chuckle as she shook her head, finding his comment about her "knack for adventure" funny, for some reason. "You're right, I do," she said back. "What sort of adventure would I be going on?"_

_"One to take back the Lonely Mountain."_

_The young Dwarf's eyes widened. The Lonely Mountain? He couldn't be serious! No one had ever dared or even thought to do such a thing. It seemed like a lost cause to most Dwarves. _"Except for one that I know…,"_ she thought. _"Does that mean…?"

_"Thorin Oakenshield will be leading this quest," Gandalf added, as if reading her thoughts. He gave her a reassuring smirk, knowing that would please her._

_It did. Aira's face brightened as a purely happy smile spread across her cheeks. The thought of seeing Thorin, the would-be King that she loved like a father, again after so many years filled her with great joy. She had missed him greatly in the time she'd been gone. Another thought then came to her: if Thorin was leading this quest, then there had to be no doubt that Fili and Kili would be coming along too! The thought of seeing them again made her even happier than she had been a second ago. Upon hearing about the quest and with all these thoughts flying around in her mind, she was surprised that she didn't jump from the table and embrace the old wizard._

_Gandalf laughed heartily at Aira's change in expression. "I knew you would be happy to hear that, Aira" he said. "I also knew that you were on your way back to Ered Luin and thought that, even though your own adventure was ending, you could join in another. Especially one that involves the likes of Thorin Oakenshield."_

_"Wait…how did you know I was going back to Ered Luin?" Aira asked._

_"I have my ways…," Gandalf coyly answered._

_Aira rolled her eyes, knowing she wasn't going to get much else out of him. This was typical Gandalf. She nodded her head to him. "Thorin is like a father to me and I would follow him anywhere," she stated with pride. "I would be proud to join in his quest!"_

_"Just as I thought," Gandalf gladly responded. Then he quickly explained, "There is one more member of the company that I wish to speak to and he is a Hobbit of the Shire. Everyone who has agreed to join will be meeting at his house in Hobbiton in five days' time before we set out. You will know which house to meet at, just look for a mark on the door and you will know you're at the right place." Aira was about to ask about why he was going to see a Hobbit, but he held up a hand and said, "More will be explained to you in due time." He then stood up from the table, pulled his staff from its leaning position against the wall, looked back at the Dwarf girl and said, "Until our next meeting, Miss Airaním." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Aira alone with her thoughts and excitement._

* * *

Her meeting with Gandalf had been five days ago. Early that following morning, Aira had packed her things and left as quickly as she could for the Shire. Now, she was only minutes away from Hobbiton and her anticipation was starting to grow within her. She looked forward to seeing who all she would be travelling with on this journey. Most of all, she looked forward to seeing the three Dwarves, who were practically her family, again after thirty long years.

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**This first chapter was just a bit of an introduction to Airanim. Don't worry, there will be more about her later. And, like I said, this is a Kili/OC story, so that will definitely come into play eventually ;)**

**More to come soon!**

**~photogirl894 :)**


	2. A Merry Reunion

**Wow, 54 views already? That's pretty sweet!**

**Here's Chapter 2! Bringing in our beloved Dwarves ;) (I would've had this uploaded earlier today, but my stupid computer went weird and I lost ALL of my work and had to start over :P Darn technology!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my character, ****Airaním.**

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The Shire, Aira thought, was proving to be a labyrinth. She had left her pony at the entrance of Hobbiton with a caretaker and was now continuing on foot. Everywhere she looked and wandered, there were rolling green hills and in the hills were numerous round doors of many different colors, from what she could see in the lamplights. It was getting late in the evening and darker outside. How in the world was she supposed to find the correct door? They all looked the same!

She found herself going up a hill when she saw something glowing on a green door at the top. She walked toward it and found that it was some sort of rune carved into the door. _"Finally!"_ Aira thought. This had to be the place. No one else in the Shire would know what that was, so it could only mean that this where Gandalf wanted her to go.

When she moved to knock on the door, she could hear loud noises and movement inside. Aira peered through the window and could see a few short and stout figures moving around. Dwarves, no doubt. They were all scuttling about so quickly to a room in the back of the house that Aira couldn't make out any specific faces.

She could feel her anticipation about to burst inside her, so she decided to rapidly knock on the door. The noise died down a bit inside and she could hear a voice say, "That must be him."

Before Aira could wonder who "him" was, another voice followed, saying, "No, my dear fellow, I do believe that is someone else." The door swung open and the Dwarf girl found herself looking up into the face of Gandalf, who was grinning down at her. "Well, my dear, I'm glad to see you were able to find your way," he said.

Aira gave him a skeptic look. "Barely!" she said back as she stepped inside. "This was not the easiest place to find."

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**Dwarves POV**

Back in Bilbo Baggins' dining room, the company of Dwarves could hear Gandalf say something which was followed by a feminine voice. Everyone's ears perked up at the sound, surprised. Then they heard the woman's voice say loudly, "All right, you sorry lot, come out, wherever you are!" Now they all looked at each other, shocked. They recognized the voice.

"Is that who I think it is…?" Bofur, a dwarf wearing a funny hat, whispered to the group in general, a smile slowly making its way across his face.

"It sure sounds like her," Balin, an old, white-haired and bearded dwarf, said.

"It has to be her!" followed Ori, one of the younger ones, all excited.

The other two younger ones of the company, brothers Fili and Kili, looked at each other in disbelief. They knew that voice very well, more than any of the others. There was only one female they knew that would speak to them with such sarcasm. It was one they had not seen or heard from in over thirty years.

In that moment, Gandalf came into view with a smiling Dwarf woman, who came up to his waist in height, at his side. Unlike most dwarf women, she bore no beard, but her face was even more beautiful without one. Long, curly red-auburn hair fell to her shoulders with two braids on either side of her face close to her ears and one larger braid over her forehead following her hairline. She looked down at the sitting Dwarves with light brown eyes that looked as though they could see into your soul. She wore simple travelling clothes, a dark cloak and a pack, both of which she was now removing. All eyes in the room widened as they saw this familiar Dwarven maiden.

Fili and Kili both jolted up from their chairs, smiling hugely, and cried out, astonished, "Airaním!"

"Airaním!" the rest of them cried out with the same enthusiasm as they also got up from their chairs to embrace their friend.

* * *

**Airaním's POV**

Aira soon found herself being bombarded by her fellow Dwarves who wanted to hug her, but she didn't mind. She started laughing merrily as they all came to her and she recognized every single one.

First had been Balin and Dwalin, two of her good friends and mentors from her childhood. Then her other good friend, Bofur, who still was wearing the same silly hat he had been wearing when last she saw him, along with his large brother, Bombur, and cousin, Bifur. Dori, Ori, Nori, Gloin and Oin all approached her after them. Aira, however, did not know these few as well as the others, save for Ori, but she had met them on a few occasions.

Finally, she came to the two young Dwarves that she had been dying to see and her eyes grew wide with great surprise. The two brothers had grown a little taller than her, were well-built and, by Durin, they were handsome! Fili's blonde hair had grown as well as his beard and Aira found his choice of style for his beard rather interesting: two braids hanging at the corners of his lips. He also had multiple braids in his hair on both sides of his head. He wore tan furs that made him look quite regal in appearance. Kili, however, had no beard, which made Aira suspect that he had suffered much grief about that, and long, flowing brunette locks. He was dressed in dark leathers that, unlike his brother, made him look a little more rebellious, which was typical Kili. Aira almost couldn't believe how much her best friends had changed physically, she almost didn't recognize them. She could feel her mouth spread in a happy, toothy smile and a pleasant warm feeling in her heart at the sight of them.

Fili was the first to scoop her up into his arms, lifting her slightly off the ground, and hug her tightly. "I can't believe it's really you!" he cried.

Aira replied, "Well, believe it, Fili, because it _is_ me!" She turned around to face Kili, who embraced her in the same manner as his brother.

"Aira, you're back!" he exclaimed.

"So to speak," said Aira. Kili held onto her a little longer, still taking in the surprise of seeing his long-lost friend, and suddenly picked her up and spun her around, causing her to cry out gleefully.

Once he set her back down, Aira faced the rest of the company, whose faces were all still bright with happy grins. "Oh, my friends, I've missed you all so much," she stated, her voice filled with longing.

"I think we've missed you more, lass," said Bofur with a wink, making Aira blush.

"Where have you been all this time, child?" asked Balin.

Before Aira could give him an answer, Gandalf spoke up behind them, "Airaním, I believe you have not met our host yet."

She moved out from among the Dwarves and found the Hobbit standing next to him, wearing a simple white shirt and suspenders with his dark trousers. To her, it felt so strange to actually be looking _down_ at someone, for once. "Airaním, or better known as 'Aira', at your service, Master Hobbit," she said very politely with a customary bow.

He gave her a bow back and replied, "Bilbo Baggins, at yours, Miss Aira."

"We'll have to find another chair for Aira," Gloin pointed out as they started spreading their stools out to make room. He pointed to Bofur who was closest to the hallway. "See if you can find something for her," he told him and Bofur left the room.

Aira looked at the table behind her and found that every inch of it was covered by plates and bowls of all kinds of food. Looking at all the delicacies on the table, she realized how hungry she was, having not eaten since breakfast.

"I found one!" they heard Bofur call out from another room. "And we missed some food in the pantry!"

Dwalin stood up. "Then bring it on here!" he bellowed as he went to gather the remaining food.

Within minutes, everyone had sat themselves down and was gorging themselves with all of Bilbo's cooking, which they somehow managed to fit on his small table, chattering away and tossing bits of food at each other, trying to catch them in their mouths. Bombur had managed to catch some, receiving many shouts of praise from the others. Aira called to Bofur to toss her some food so that she could try. He pulled off a chunk of a biscuit and tossed it in the air in her direction. Aira threw her head back, almost hitting the wall with it, and caught the biscuit with ease, earning many cheers from the Dwarves and some pats on the shoulder from Kili and Ori.

This merry gathering continued for a little while longer as the Dwarves ate and drank even more, which soon resulted in them having a belching contest, which Aira swore she would not be a part of.

After that went on for a few minutes, things started to settle down a little and Aira got up from the table to retrieve something from her pack in the front foyer. She reached inside and pulled out a small handheld silver mirror. It had belonged to her mother. Aira had never known her mother because she had died giving birth to her. Her father had given the mirror to her as a birthday gift; the last birthday gift he gave her before the time of his death. This little mirror was all that she had left of both of her real parents.

Aira had become lost in her thoughts about her parents that she almost didn't hear Fili come up behind her. "Fixing your hair, I assume?" he asked.

She pursed her lips at him. Yes, she actually had taken out the mirror to fix her hair. For some reason, that had become such a habit when she was a Dwarfling and now she just couldn't break it. She was very picky about her hair. "What's it to you?" she asked in defense, smirking at him.

Fili raised his eyebrows and simply said, "I just assumed that was what you were doing…since I know how fussy you can get about your hair!" Suddenly he pulled her into a headlock, chuckling mischievously, and began ruffling his hands rapidly through her hair, messing it all up.

"Fili!" Aira shouted, half playfully, half warningly, as she tried to wrestle herself out of his tight grip. Quickly, she dropped her mother's mirror back into her pack so she wouldn't accidentally drop it while trying to pry away from Fili. She couldn't help but laugh, however, as this brought back memories to when they were younger and would rough-house almost all the time.

She broke free and immediately ran her hands through her hair to try and repair the damage that the now smirking Fili had done to it.

Just then, they both looked over and saw Ori approaching Bilbo in the hallway holding a plate in his hand. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt…but what should I do with my plate?" he had asked.

Fili's eyes found Kili across the hall and they shared a scheming glance, both of them thinking of doing something crazy. Fili walked right over to Ori. "Here you go, Ori, give it to me," he said taking the plate and suddenly tossing it to Kili, who tossed it into the kitchen.

Aira found herself smiling as she realized what they were doing. _"Oh, is Bilbo going to be in for a surprise…!"_ she thought as Bilbo began shouting at them and Fili started bouncing bowls off his elbows before throwing it to Kili. She then spotted Bofur, Dori, Nori and Gloin all sitting at the table and playing a rhythmic game with Bilbo's forks and knives, tapping them together.

"Can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" Bilbo stated, irritated.

Bofur, however, found that pleasing. "Ooh, do you hear that, lads?" he asked out loud as they started pounding an inviting rhythm with their feet. "He says we'll blunt the knives!"

Kili then began to sing,

_Blunt the knives, bend the forks._

Then Fili joined in,

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks._

Aira decided that she would also help lead the song. She jumped in between the two brothers, intercepting the plate Fili had tossed and she sang before throwing it to Bifur in the kitchen,

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates._

Then every Dwarf joined in and sang together, everyone tossing plates, bowls, forks and knives, sending them flying in every direction of the kitchen,

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth, tread on the fat._

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat._

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor, splash the wine on every door._

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl, pound them up with a thumping pole._

_When you're finished, if any are whole,_

_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

Bilbo burst into the room and was astonished to find all of his dishes and silverware all neatly stacked on the table. Gandalf and all of the Dwarves were laughing at their merry-making and, naturally, at Bilbo's flustered expression. Aira could not remember laughing so much and so hard in a long time.

The sound of three loud, banging thumps sounded and everyone quieted down, their heads slowly turned in the direction of the front door.

"He is here," Gandalf whispered.

Aira then realized that she had almost forgotten about the one Dwarf who had not been there all night; the one that, apart from Fili and Kili, she had been longing to see the most.

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**Sorry if this chapter seemed a little long...but this is one of my absolute FAVORITE scenes from the movie! I adore the Dwarves so much! **

**I'm trying to develop Aira's character as much as I can, but I don't want to do it too much at a time. You'll learn more and more about her in each chapter as well as her different relationships with different members of the company, namely the Heirs of Durin: Thorin, Fili and Kili. The next chapter will introduce her relationship with Thorin and then the following ones will go a little deeper into it as well as with Fili and Kili.**

**If you'd like, review or PM me with your thoughts! They would be much appreciated! :) Will update soon!**


	3. The King Who Raised Her

**I'm definitely surprised at how many views this has gotten so quickly! Thanks a ton to everyone who's been reading and who have also favorited this! **

**Now, Chapter 3...the arrival of my favorite Dwarf of them all! ;D**

**DISCLAIMER: (hopefully by now you all know this) I own nothing except my character, ****Airaním****. (Just in case anyone's wondering, the name she goes by, "Aira" is pronounced like its spelled: "air-a")**

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All of the Dwarves got up from the table and re-convened near the foyer as Gandalf opened the door. Aira was near the back of the group and could not see over Fili and Kili standing in front of her.

"It's Thorin, isn't it?" she whispered to them.

They both turned around but Kili was the one to answer, "It is." The three of them made their way closer to the front of the group.

"Stay behind us, we'll surprise Thorin," Fili whispered to Aira.

"Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find," she heard Thorin say to the wizard.

_"That's almost exactly what I said!"_ Aira thought in her head, remembering when she had arrived earlier.

Thorin continued, "I lost my way…twice. I wouldn't have found it all had it not been for that mark on the door."

Aira's response in her head to that was, _"Even the legendary Thorin Oakenshield loses his way sometimes…especially in a place like this!"_

"Mark? There's no mark on that door, it was painted a week ago!" Bilbo pointed out.

Gandalf closed the door behind him and said to the irritated Hobbit, "There _is _a mark, I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Deep down, Aira could feel her heart jump just even at the mention of his name. Thorin, the rightful King Under the Mountain; the Dwarf who had raised her after her father's passing and who had become someone she looked up to and admired. He had taken good care of her and was a great father-figure to her. Because she spent a good amount of time with his nephews, he had once told her that he cared for her like she was his own niece. Aira didn't mind that. However, she had never once thought of him as like her uncle. Since both of her real parents were gone, he was the closest thing she had to a father. His sister, Dis, Fili and Kili's mother, was the closest thing she had to a mother. Knowing that she was in the same place as Thorin after so many years made Aira's heart about leap out of her chest.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Aira heard him ask Bilbo.

"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know," Bilbo answered, which made Aira shake her head in disbelief. "But I fail to see why that's relevant."

"Thought as much," Thorin smugly stated. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." This made the Dwarves, even Aira, chuckle.

Fili and Kili then inched closer together, shielding Aira, before Kili spoke to him. "Uncle," he said, "we have an extra addition to the company with us."

"And just who might that be?" Thorin asked grimly. He wasn't all too enthusiastic about this news. The twelve other dwarves he had gathered were enough and the Hobbit was already slightly overdoing it. Thorin hoped that they hadn't snuck along Gloin's son, Gimli. The Dwarfling had wanted to accompany them, but Thorin wouldn't allow it. Gimli was younger than his nephews and he had barely even allowed _them_ to come along. That was the only person Thorin could think the "extra addition" could be.

He felt Balin lay a hand on his arm. "Someone we know you'll be happy to see," he said. Thorin noticed a bright twinkle in the older dwarf's eye. He was now very confused. He looked back to his nephews who were grinning from ear to ear. They stepped off to the sides, creating a gap between them and revealing a figure behind them.

Everyone thought Thorin's eyes were going to bulge out of his head when he saw Aira.

She was the last person he had expected. Even though it had been years and she looked older than last he saw her, Thorin recognized Aira immediately. He would know her face anywhere. He was so surprised to see her, his long-lost ward, proudly standing before him. What a beautiful Dwarf woman she'd grown into! For a moment, he believed his eyes were deceiving him, but then realized that what has happening was true; that Aira was real and was actually there.

Aira looked at Thorin with great gladness. He hadn't changed much in appearance, she noticed. The only things she saw that were different were the small streaks of grey and silver in his raven-black hair and his neatly trimmed beard that quite complimented his handsome face. Thorin appeared as regal and noble as she remembered him and his majestic bearing still remained. Aira gave him a happy, radiant smile and took a couple steps towards him as he continued to stare at her, amazed.

He opened his mouth a little as if to say something. Finally, he stammered out, "Airaním?"

She gave a small bow of her head. "Hello, Thorin," she said in a cracked voice as she fought to keep back the tears of joy she felt coming to her eyes.

He had only stared at her for a brief moment when suddenly, the stern Thorin everyone knew vanished and transformed into a much sweeter, livelier Thorin. He let out a joyful cry and pulled Aira into his strong arms in a tight, close embrace. Aira expected this and wrapped her arms just as tightly around Thorin's waist, burying her face in his hair and the fur of his coat. She could hear light, pleasant chuckles and snickers from the other Dwarves.

"After all these years, Aira…," Thorin said in her ear. However, he didn't finish his sentence. He was still at a loss for words. Finally he pulled away and looked at Aira, who wasn't that much shorter than him. "How is this possible?" he asked.

"Gandalf found me and wanted me to come along," was Aira's simple answer.

"Where did he find you?" Thorin asked next.

Aira could feel the curious stares from everyone else in the room on her which made her a little uncomfortable. "I will explain in time, my King," she said and, before he could question her, she continued with, "Right now, I believe there are other things to discuss, like the matter of this quest, which I'm assuming is the reason why we're all here."

"The lass is right. Let's get to it!" said Dwalin, motioning for the rest to follow into the dining room.

As everyone else moved about, obeying Dwalin's suggestion, Thorin gave Aira a fatherly kiss on her forehead, a gesture he often gave her, and then smiled at her and said, "It's wonderful to see you, Aira. We will speak later." With that, he walked away into the next room.

Aira, as she tried to contain her inner delight, then felt something move underneath both her arms and she jumped. Fili and Kili were on either side of her, their faces beaming. They both had slipped an arm under one of hers, offering to escort her. Aira rolled her eyes at them playfully and tightened her arms' grip on theirs.

_"Silly boys…,_" she thought, _"yet still so charming!"_

The three of them then walked in step with one another into the dining room, ready to begin the meeting.

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**I had a good time writing this chapter and introducing the relationship between Thorin and Aira. More of that will be expanded upon in upcoming chapters as well as more of Aira's past!**

**By the way, did you happen to catch the "Majestic Thorin" reference? ;) I just had to do that (hehe!)**

**Let me know of any thoughts you're having so far! :)**


	4. No Small Amount of Courage

**The reactions I keep getting to this story are great! I love it :)**

**Sorry I always upload a chapter late at night :P (Well, it's late where I live, at least...) I'm normally pretty busy during the day and can only find time late in the evening to update.**

**Enjoy! :)**

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"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked Thorin once everyone had been seated. Aira, Fili and Kili had gone to the back of the room as they were the last to be seated and Aira sat in between the brothers.

Thorin was now eating some stew that Bilbo had somehow managed to save from the pillaging of his pantry. After taking a sip of it, he replied with a simple grin, "Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms."

"And what do the Dwarves from the Iron Hills say?" Dwalin then asked. "Is Dain with us?"

Thorin's face then turned grim as his eyes dropped down to the table. "They will not come," he said. "They say this quest is ours and ours alone."

"You're going on a quest?" asked Bilbo, who was standing behind Gandalf and Thorin.

Gandalf then requested a little more light from the Hobbit and then proceeded to pull out a piece of parchment. "Far to the East," he began, "over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands lies a single solitary peak." He laid the parchment down to reveal a map.

"The Lonely Mountain," Bilbo pointed out as he held a candle out over it.

"Aye, Oin has read the portents and the portents say it is time," said Gloin, motioning to his brother sitting across the table with his head.

Oin, while holding his ear trumpet to his deaf right ear, said, "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold. When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end."

Aira's eyes caught Bilbo whipping around in the hallway at the mention of the word "beast". "What beast?" he asked nervously.

"Well, that would be a reference to Smaug, the Terrible; chiefest and greatest calamity of our age," answered Bofur. "Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat-hooks, extremely fond of precious metals—"

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo quickly said, stopping Bofur from continuing.

Ori then jumped from his seat, a determined look on his face. "I'm not afraid, I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!" he exclaimed. He was then silenced and pulled back down into his chair by his older brother.

Aira couldn't help but giggle at the young Dwarf who was trying to act tough. She leaned across the table, gave him a pat on the hand, smiled at him and whispered, "I admire your courage, Ori."

He gave her a very boyish grin back.

"The task would be difficult enough even with an army behind us. But we number just fourteen," said Balin, who was starting to sound rather doubtful. "And we're not fourteen of the best…nor brightest." The rest of the Dwarves started to grumble at this.

Aira didn't like Balin's tone of voice, which was really quite odd for the usually optimistic old Dwarf. "Well, I don't know about that, Balin," she said as all eyes turned on her. "Who said you have to be the best or the brightest in order to do what you feel is necessary or right? I mean, that's why we're all here! All of us want to achieve the same goal; to do what we feel is right: to take back the Lonely Mountain. So what if we don't have an army from the Iron Hills with us? We don't need them!"

Her voice grew louder, stronger and bolder with every sentence. She was determined to keep the Dwarves' spirits up about the quest. It seemed like it was working as she noticed everyone staring at her with impressed looks.

"Between the lot of us," she continued, "we have a vast variety of knowledge in different things and we each have different skill sets that could be of use. _We _are the brave ones here…because we are willing to risk our lives, go against all odds and brave the impossible! _That _is what makes us the best!"

Aira felt Kili wrap an arm around her shoulders and squeeze her gently, pleased with her steadfast and audacious words.

Fili then pounded a fist on the table, his own determination now building after being moved by all that Aira had just said. He added loudly, "We may be few in number, but we're fighters. All of us! To the last Dwarf!"

It was clear that Aira's words had had quite the effect on both the brothers because Kili immediately added, "And do you forget? We have a wizard in our company! Gandalf will have killed _hundreds_ of dragons in his time."

The wizard began to protest against Kili's assumption, but was cut off by Dori, who asked, "Well, how many then?" When Gandalf hadn't heard his question the first time, the Dwarf re-phrased it. "How many dragons have you killed?" Now everyone's eyes fell on the grey wizard, waiting for an answer. When he gave none and started coughing up smoke from his pipe, Dori grew impatient. "Go on, give us a number!" He, along with a majority of the Dwarves, stood up from their chairs and starting shouting and arguing loudly.

Fili turned his head, leaned forward to look around Aira at Kili and gave him a reprimanding look. "Look at what you've done, brother," he said.

"What did _I_ do?" Kili asked defensively.

"_You_ brought up the dragons," Aira said in response, emphasizing that it pretty much was his fault for what lead to the other Dwarves' bickering.

Kili opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a fierce yell from Thorin, who had pushed himself up from his chair, silencing everyone. The arguing was pointless and he was going to put an end to it.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too?" he asked. "Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look East to the mountain assessing, wondering, weighing the risk…perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected." The natural tone of leadership rose in his voice as he asked the final question, "Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours…or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?!"

The Dwarves all cheered in accordance with their King, raising their fists in the air.

"_Du_ _bekâr_!" Thorin shouted as the final rally cry, which was Khuzdul for "To arms!"

But then Balin cut into their cheering. "You forget the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf said to him and then, with a flourish of his hand, produced a large, elaborately fashioned key from his pocket.

Thorin, now sitting in his chair again, looked with wide eyes at the key. "How came you by this?"

Gandalf answered, "It was given to me by your father; by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." He handed the key to the Dwarf who gratefully accepted it and put it in his own pocket.

"If there is a key, there must be a door," Fili stated.

Gandalf pointed down at the map. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

Kili's face lit up. "There's another way in," he said gladly.

"Brilliant deductions, boys…!" Aira muttered sarcastically under her breath.

"Well, if we can find it, but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gandalf pointed out. He began gesturing back to the map with his hand. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map, and I do not have the skill to find it," he admitted, "but there are others in Middle-Earth who can." His eyes lifted from the parchment to Thorin's. "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe it can be done."

Aira straightened up in her seat, now feeling rather confident. _"Sounds like my kind of task,"_ she thought to herself.

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori said as if he was now catching on.

"A good one, too," said Bilbo, having not spoken for a little while now. "An expert, I would imagine."

"And are you?" Gloin questioned him.

Bilbo turned and looked around to see who Gloin was talking to, but then realized the question was directed at him. "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert!" Oin cried out cheerfully, even though he clearly couldn't hear well through his ear trumpet.

"No, no, no, I'm not a burglar!" Bilbo protested immediately. "I've never stolen a thing in my life."

While that conversation went on, Aira leaned close to Kili and asked quietly, "What are your thoughts about Bilbo? Do you think he'd be a good burglar?"

Kili replied, "I like Bilbo, I think he's a very pleasant fellow. Will he make a good burglar? It's hard to say. But I think there's more to him than we think."

Aira turned to Fili, who had been listening to them. "What do you think, Fili?"

"Well, we're not as judgmental as Uncle Thorin, who I can tell doesn't think much of him. I think Bilbo just may surprise us."

The air soon filled with loud noise again. The three of them found the other Dwarves were heatedly debating about Bilbo.

Just then, a cloud of darkness overcame the room as Gandalf stood up and angrily stated in a firm voice, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is."

Aira was been quite taken aback by Gandalf's use of magic that was generated from his frustration. She didn't realize that she was leaning into Kili's shoulder like she was hinting for protection. His arm had come up around her shoulders and he kindly nudged her as the darkness faded away. Once she realized her proximity to Kili, however unintentional it was, and his encouraging gesture, Aira gave him a grateful glance.

Gandalf had composed himself and was continuing with his talk to the Dwarves about Bilbo. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet and can pass unseen by most, if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of Dwarf, the scent of a Hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." He lowered himself back down to their level. "You asked me to find the fifteenth member of this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins," he boldly said to Thorin, making known to him that we would not be dissuaded in his decision. "There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest and he has a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself."

Thorin looked back at Gandalf. "Technically, I asked you to find a _fourteenth_ member. I was unaware that you would be adding another last-minute addition," he said, casting a glance over at Aira.

For a second, she thought he wasn't happy about her being there, but, to her relief, she saw him giving her an appreciative look that said the exact opposite.

The King remained silent for a short moment before saying at last to the wizard, "Very well, we'll do it your way." He looked to Balin. "Give him the contract," he told him.

Aira found that a little strange. "Contract? Do I have to sign that, too?" she asked her two friends.

They both shook their heads. "No, you won't have to. Thorin knows you well enough," said Kili.

"He only had Balin come up with one for Mister Baggins as a safety precaution. He doesn't know him and is unsure of whether or not to trust him," Fili added.

"Despite the good word Gandalf's put in for him."

"Because you know how stubborn our uncle can be."

The Dwarf woman scoffed lightly. "Do I, ever," she said. "I can't say I blame him, though. You can't be too trusting of others all of the time. But it is Thorin, so I'm not surprised either."

She turned her attention to Bilbo who made his way into the hallway and was reading the contract out loud to himself. She couldn't make out what he was saying until she heard the words, "…limited to…laceration…evisceration? Incineration?"

_"What are they trying to do, scare the poor Hobbit?"_ Aira asked in her mind.

Bofur then responded, "Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye."

_"I spoke too soon."_

Bilbo's breathing started to slow down and grow shorter as he bent over.

"You all right, laddie?" Balin asked him.

Bilbo nodded and inhaled deeply. "Yeah…feel a bit faint."

Bofur stood up. "Think furnace with wings!" he said, attempting a pleasant tone of voice.

_"Oh, gods, that isn't helping!"_ "Durin, stop him…!" Aira mumbled quietly as she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head at Bofur's "efforts" at trying to calm Master Baggins.

Unfortunately, when Bilbo said he needed air, Bofur continued to talk. "Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"

"Bofur, shut up!" Aira grumbled through gritted teeth, the volume in her voice a little louder than her last muttered statement. Normally, she adored Bofur's sweet, happy-go-lucky attitude, but the way he was handling the current situation with it was not really helping.

Bilbo started to straighten up, making Aira and the Dwarves think he was all right. Then he plainly uttered, "Nope," and collapsed to the floor.

Aira rolled her eyes as she got up from the table, made her way past Gandalf and over to the passed-out Hobbit. "Bofur, what in your right mind made you think all that would possibly make him feel better?" she demanded, irritated.

Bofur just shrugged. "Can't blame me for trying."

"Well, maybe you should've tried just a little less," said Aira. As Bilbo started to come to, she slipped her hands underneath his arms and helped lift him to his feet. "Up you get, Master Hobbit." She guided him over to his favorite armchair and then, after he offered his thanks, left him alone to speak with Gandalf. Their conversation didn't last long, however, because after only a few minutes did Aira see Bilbo leave the room.

The young woman moved into the front room and decided to sit in front of the fireplace, where a large fire was busy burning away, to warm herself up. She knew not how much time had passed when she began to hear low sounds coming behind her. As the sounds got louder, she realized the Dwarves were humming and she recognized the tune. Just as she noticed this, Aira felt something move up close to her back. She looked up and realized that Thorin was now standing above her and staring deeply into the flames. Knowing who it was now, she leaned back and rested her head comfortably against his left knee. He began to sing in a deep, gravelly yet soothing voice that sent a rumble through his whole body that Aira could feel against her back in his legs,

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To find our long forgotten gold._

This song was one Aira had heard Thorin sing a few times before. No matter how many times she heard it, the deep meaning behind the song never ceased to send chills down her spine. To most of them, it was a song of home. Even though Aira never knew Erebor like Thorin or any of the others did, to her, it felt like a song of home, too. She closed her eyes and started to sing with him along with the rest of the Dwarves.

_The pines were roaring on the height,_

_The winds were moaning in the night,_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread,_

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

There was long moment of silence as the almost-spiritual song came to a close. Soon the silence was broken by Thorin who told the company that they should retire for the evening and that they would be leaving at first light.

He then walked away, making Aira almost fall on her back, having lost her headrest. She moved to get up but then saw Bofur approach and offer a hand to help her. Graciously, she grasped his hand firmly and he quickly lifted her up. He and the other Dwarves said goodnight to her, some of them patting her on the back as they passed her, and left the room, all tired and ready for bed.

Aira, on the other hand, was not tired just yet. Once she found herself alone in the front room, she walked to the front door, opened it and stepped out into the night.

.

**Any thoughts? So far, I think this is moving along pretty well, but I want to know what you all think! :)**

**Update to come soon, hopefully by tomorrow!**


	5. Dreams and Regrets

**So far, I've been getting some good feedback about this story, which makes me very, very happy! :) Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing and following!**

**So this chapter will reveal a major part of Aira's past. And there's also a nice little moment with her and Kili... ;) **

**Do enjoy this, won't you? :)**

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The fresh air outside of the Hobbit hole was cool and inviting, filled with the scent of flowers and dew on the grass. A gentle breeze weaved its way through Aira's curly locks as she walked down the cobblestone steps to the gate at the bottom. She stopped at the gate and rested her hands on top of it, staring out at the incredible landscape before her.

She found that the Shire truly was a beautiful and peaceful place. She could see just how green everything was, even in the darkness. All of the little round doors she could see in the hills were adorable. The light whistle in the wind sent a calming sensation through Aira's entire body. She had never felt such a feeling anywhere else.

How had she never come here before? The Shire was closer to the Blue Mountains than any other place, how did she miss it? Somehow she must have bypassed it.

As she started to think once again about the Blue Mountains, her spirits started to sink. Thinking of home now only brought sorrow to her heart.

Her hand rose to a chain around her neck. Aira took both sides and pulled the remainder of it out from underneath her shirt. She looked down at what was clasped at the bottom of the chain, lying in her palm. There were five small silver discs overlapping each other and each one was individually hooked onto a silver loop. Each was the size of a coin with a Dwarven emblem engraved on it. The one on top was Aira's. Her thumb slipped over the first disc to move it and reveal the next one. The second had the emblem of Fili imprinted on it. Aira slid the disc over and looked at the third that bore Kili's mark, the fourth with the sign of Dis and then the final one with the insignia of Thorin.

This necklace had been given to her from the four of them as a gift for the ten-year anniversary of her living with them and being a part of their family. Each person had hand-crafted their own disc that bore their personal emblem, save for Thorin who had taken the time to also make one with Aira's mark. It was a simple gift, yet it meant the world to Aira; its worth overreaching that of all the gold in the halls of Erebor. It was a symbol that meant she would always have a family and a home with those four Dwarves, no matter what. From that day forward, the necklace never left Aira's neck. It always hung underneath her shirt against her chest, close to her heart.

She clutched the discs firmly in her hand as she let the tears that came to her eyes silently fall. Seeing Thorin, Fili and Kili again made her remember the last time she had been home and sharp pain of guilt began to build inside her. It had been thirty years ago, the day when she left so suddenly; a day that she, even then, was still ashamed of.

* * *

_Thirty years past_

_Balin had just finished giving Fili, Kili and Aira a lesson about the history of Middle-Earth, mainly about the race of Men. He had talked about all the different past places he, Thorin and Dwalin had gone to in towns of Men before they came to Ered Luin. Balin had brought out a map of Middle-Earth to show the three youngsters where they had gone._

_Aira began to eye every inch of the map anxiously. How she always dreamed of seeing all these different places! She might not be a child anymore, but her mind was always filled with high hopes like in her childhood days. _

_Her dreams of adventures were beyond count for she had had so many over the years growing up. She and the two Dwarf Princes shared many of the same ambitions. Often when they played together, they would pretend to go off on a quest to different places in Middle-Earth to battle trolls, Orcs and goblins. They would also make-believe that they would reclaim the Lonely Mountain themselves and slay the fearsome dragon that guarded its sacred halls. The limit of their imaginations was endless._

_"Can you just imagine it?" Aira spoke, her face brightening as her eyes grazed over the map. "The green hills of the Shire, the vast plains of Rohan, the Anduin River and the falls of Amon Hen, the mountain ranges of the Iron Hills…." Her list could've gone on, but she trailed off, her eyes glazed and distant as her thoughts drifted off in her imagination._

_"Balin, Aira's dreaming again!" Kili cried out in a mock "tattle-tale" voice, making his brother chuckle. She did that every so often and Kili just always loved to point it out._

_Balin walked up behind them and placed a hand on Kili's shoulder. "Aye, and what are you getting at, laddie?" he asked, putting Kili on the spot. "What's wrong with dreaming?"_

_"Absolutely nothing," said a familiar voice._

_They all looked to see Thorin entering the room, his arms placed his behind his back making him look very kingly and poised. A pleasant grin was etched upon his face and he laid his eyes on the three young Dwarves in the room. He approached Aira and asked, "However, I am curious; what led you to start daydreaming during Balin's lesson, Aira?"_

_She averted her eyes, a little embarrassed. She answered, "Well, Master Balin was teaching us more of the history of Middle-Earth, telling us stories of his travels with you and Dwalin. Then he was showing us the places you'd traveled on this map. I was just looking at it wondering what it would be like to see them for myself and discover what's really out there."_

_Thorin scoffed softly, closed his eyes and shook his head. "I think I'm going to have to have Balin stop giving you these history lessons, Aira," he said derisively. "You lose your focus and let your mind wander when you should be paying attention."_

_"Oh, what's the harm in letting the young ones' minds wander every once in a while? I do not mind," Balin said optimistically. "I believe it's important for one to learn how to dream while in their youth. It helps keep their innocence alive."_

_"I think she should be keeping her innocence alive __after__ the lecture is over," said Fili with a chuckle._

_Aira's eyes squinted and she gave the blonde Dwarf a teasing glare. "I'm sorry, I can't help it," she said with a shrug of her shoulders._

_Balin placed a hand on her raised shoulders and, as she lowered them, gave her a cheeky grin. "It's perfectly all right," he calmly said, "I really don't mind. Personally, I admire your aspirations. Proves you have a wild, carefree spirit just yearning to fly."_

_"Well, we're not going to let her fly away just yet," said Thorin, lightly brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Aira is young and still has much to learn." He turned his attention to the girl. "Someday, Airaním, you will have your chance to see the world, but for right now, your place is here."_

_"I know," Aira said nicely._

_"Besides, there really isn't much to see in the Iron Hills," Thorin added, clearly having heard Aira's mention of it. "Those mountains lack the same grandeur that we have here in the Blue Mountains or that could once be seen in the lone mountain of Erebor," he stated, a sense of satisfaction in his voice for his past and present homes._

_"I wouldn't tell Dain that," said Balin, raising his eyebrows at Thorin as a mock-warning. "He takes great pride in his mountains and I don't think he'd be very happy you said that."_

_They all giggled at Balin's remark, thinking of what trouble Thorin would get into if Dain knew of his words._

_"He'd certainly have your head for that," said Kili._

_Thorin began to rub his neck. "My lips are sealed then, because I quite like my head where it is."_

_The three young Dwarves found that comment very amusing and laughed at Thorin again._

_For Aira, the day continued with battle training with Dwalin and then spending her free time with Fili and Kili. They visited the markets outside of the mountains and browsed the different booths and kiosks. After looking for little while and finding nothing of interest to buy, the three of them returned home and just in time for supper._

_After she finished eating, Aira realized that she felt a little tired and thought she would retire early. She wished everyone a good night and retreated to her room. However, once she closed the door and collapsed on her bed, she found that sleep was not coming to her easily. For hours, her mind thought back to the things Thorin and Balin had said to her earlier as well her previous thoughts of seeing the world. Thorin had said she would have her chance someday. She believed him, but deep down she didn't want to wait any longer for "someday". He made it sound so far away. As Balin had said, she had a "wild, carefree spirit just yearning to fly". Just the thought of that made her even more wishful to go._

_A little voice in her head kept reminding her off all these things and then said, "You can't wait any longer. Adventure awaits you; now is the time to fly. Pack up your things and leave right away."_

_Aira finally gave in to these promptings. She rose from her bed, threw some clothes and provisions into her pack and gathered her weapons. Once she felt ready to go, she decided that there was one last thing she needed to do. She found a piece of parchment and wrote a note that she would leave in her room for Thorin, Dis, Fili and Kili to find in the morning. She wrote:_

Oakenshields,

Do not be worried when you read this. I kept having strong feelings last night telling me I just had to go right away. My want for adventure grew even more intense after everything that happened yesterday with the history lesson to where I couldn't hold back anymore. I have left on my own to travel Middle-Earth.

I'm sorry for my sudden and unannounced departure, but this is something I have to do. For me.

Thorin, I'm sorry…but I'm afraid "someday" is today.

I promise to return soon and I will accept the consequences for my actions then.

I love you all

Airaním

_When the note was complete, Aira folded it, left it on her bedside table and quietly snuck out to the stables. She saddled her pony and rode out past the front gate. Once she was out, she stopped and turned back to look at the mountain. Her hand reached up to clutch her necklace tightly as she thought about the ones she was leaving behind, hoping they wouldn't resent her for this._

_"I will return soon," she promised out loud. With that, she tucked her necklace underneath her shirt and rode away from the Blue Mountains._

* * *

That night when she left, Aira had only expected to be gone for maybe a couple of years before returning home, but she had been wrong.

She had also been wrong for leaving the Oakenshield's the way she did. She should have at least spoken with them; explained to them why she wanted to go before departing. If anything, maybe she would've let Fili and Kili go with her. But instead, she had just left a brief note and vanished without a word. And never once in the last thirty years did she send word to them of her well-being. At times, there was no possible way for her to do so, but she still could've sent something at least once to let them know that she was all right. She had been so selfish and she was beyond ashamed of that. She continued to silently cry as all these thoughts came to her.

"Would you care for some company?"

Aira jumped around and saw Kili leaning against the round doorframe of the Hobbit hole. She hadn't even heard him come out. Quickly, she ran a hand across both her cheeks and brushed away her tears, hoping he couldn't see them in the lamplight.

"Kili, I thought you would've gone to bed," she said.

"I was," he responded, "but then I noticed you hadn't followed the rest of us when we left the front room. I thought maybe you were getting an item from your pack or something, so I waited up for you. Then I heard the door open and I realized you had gone outside. I watched you through the window for a moment and you looked so lonely out here." He stepped forward and walked down the stone steps towards Aira. "I thought maybe you'd like some company; someone to talk to, if you'd like," he kindly offered as he leaned against the gate next to her.

"Thank you," was all Aira said. The two of them stood in silence for a few moments, looking out upon the hills.

"You're not thinking of leaving again, are you?" Kili asked to break the silence.

Aira turned to look at him. "No, I am not," she answered. She assumed that maybe he thought that was what she was doing when he heard her walk out the door and felt bad for possibly worrying him again. He gave her an acknowledging nod.

But then, a question came to Aira that she was just dying to know the answer to. "Kili, how are you not angry with me?"

His expression turned to confusion. "Why would I be angry with you?" he asked.

"For what I did all those years ago; for leaving suddenly and almost without a word. Any other person would be livid about what I did, yet you, Fili and Thorin are not acting that way with me. Why?"

"Because we were never angry with you for it. Now, after Fili and I found your note and showed it to Thorin, Mother and Balin, we might have all been a little mad at first, but then Balin said he figured it was only a matter of time before you up and left. He knew your desire for adventure was growing too strong to be contained much longer. Uncle Thorin knew, too. He even felt bad a little for keeping you in Ered Luin for so long, saying he should've at least taken you away from the mountains maybe once or twice to satisfy that desire."

Kili paused and focused on Aira, who was staring at him blankly as if she couldn't believe or understand what he was saying.

He continued, "We were sad, of course, that you had gone. We were slightly disappointed in how you decided to leave and why you didn't talk to any of us about it and we were confused as to why none of that ever occurred to you…but we were never angry with you. Even if anyone else was, _I _could never be angry with you for that, Aira."

Now Aira finally had all the answers she needed to the questions that constantly plagued her mind on how her actions had affected those closest to her. They were never angry at her and that brought sweet relief to her heart and mind. Swiftly and catching Kili a bit off guard, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in his chest, starting to sob.

"I'm so sorry, Kili!" she gasped as she felt his arms move around her. "I was so selfish all those years ago. I never gave any thought as to how my actions would affect all of you. I thought it was best to just disappear so no one would try to stop me and I have regretted how I left you ever since that day. You have every right to hate or resent me and I would understand if you did."

Kili's hold on her faltered. He pulled his arms away and gently pushed Aira back so he could look at her face, now red and wet from her tears. "Airaním!" he cried. Wiping away the stray tears on her cheeks with care, he looked firmly into her eyes and said with a strong voice, "I could never, _ever_ hate you! Never! Especially not over something as silly and ridiculous as this!" He pulled the sniffling Dwarf girl back into his embrace and rubbed her shoulders for comfort. "I don't know what I would do if I let myself hate you and pushed you out of my life," he then said.

Aira let out a light huff of breath. "Your life would get quite boring, I would imagine," she replied, her usual pleasant sound returning to her voice.

A soft snigger escaped Kili's lips. "Oh, and you know I would lose my mind for sure if my life ever got remotely boring," he said cheekily.

Aira pulled back and gave Kili a teasing smirk before saying, "You can't lose what you never had!" When she saw his eyes squint and his mouth form an "O" shape at her, she knew she was going to pay for that comment. With a defiant laugh, she leapt over the gate, knowing he'd be following right on her heels after her.

_"That's the Aira I know!"_ Kili thought happily as he took a jump over the gate to chase after her.

They both jogged carefully down the hill before reaching the meadow below, where Aira broke into a sprint to get away from Kili, who was catching up to her fast. Her efforts were futile, though, because within minutes she felt his arms catch her around the waist and they both tumbled down onto the grass. They cried out and laughed so hard, their sides felt about to ready to burst.

Kili pushed himself up off of Aira and braced himself with the palms of his hands on the grass, letting Aira turn over onto her back to look up at him as he towered over her, both of them getting over their fits of laughter. All the sorrow she had earlier had left her eyes and had been replaced by true, utter happiness. Kili suddenly began to notice just how beautiful she really was, especially in the moonlight. Her eyes glittered like amber, the radiance of her smile grew even brighter and her countenance glowed ever more than usual. He had always known her to be a lovely young lady, but now he was having different thoughts about her beauty than he normally did. A strange feeling stirred in Kili's chest as these thoughts came to him. What was happening to him?

Underneath him, Aira too was beginning to experience something out of the ordinary regarding Kili. His face was inches away from hers and she took notice of just how handsome he really was, especially with his darling smile spread on his face. And she could see his eyes beaming with joy, more than she had ever seen before. But now his smile was fading and his expression softened as he stared at her. Aira could feel her own expression changing as well.

Just then, she could feel a little more pressure on her body as Kili started to lower himself down, his face slowly inching closer to hers, and her heart about stopped. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't _think_. But then, to her surprise and almost to her relief, Kili stopped, hovering over her, and said with such sweetness, "I'm so happy you're back, Aira. I've missed you."

Aira's smile returned as she said back to him, "I'm happy to be back and I've missed you, too, so much!"

The Dwarf Prince shifted over so that he was no longer above her and was laying on his back, now smiling over at her. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a tight, thoughtful grasp. The two best friends laid back on the grass this way for only a few moments, just staring up at the sparkling, starry sky above them.

Before long, Aira suggested to Kili that they return indoors before it got cold or anyone noticed they were missing. Kili agreed, helped her to her feet and they walked, still hand in hand, back up to the door of Bag End.

They had held hands plenty of times before, Aira remembered, and she was used to it, but something about holding Kili's hand this time felt different. She couldn't quite figure out why.

After the door was closed behind them, Aira wished Kili good night. He took her hand, pressed it gently to his lips and said, "Sweet dreams, Aira." He bowed his head to her and left the room.

Aira watched Kili as he walked away, feeling a foreign warmth in her cheeks from him kissing her hand. What was wrong with her?! This was nothing he hadn't ever done before. Why was she suddenly behaving this way now?

A deep voice saying her name interrupted her thoughts. Aira looked to see Thorin sitting in a chair in a dark corner, his arms folded in his lap. He looked as if he'd been waiting there for a long while, which Aira was sure he had been.

"Thorin…," she simply said, unsure of what to say or do.

"I have things I wish to discuss with you," Thorin said in a serious voice, "and they cannot wait until morning."

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**So...? ;) What'd ya think? PLEASE review or PM me with your thoughts, I really want to know your take on this!**

**I know all the chapters so far have all taken place on the night the Dwarves are in the Shire, but I promise that the next one will be the last one to take place in that time, then after that will the story continue with the quest!**

**Again, please review, that'd be much appreciated! :)**


	6. A Special Connection

**You all are so awesome! Over 1,000 views in a week, that's amazing! **

**And thanks to Fireleaf the medicine cat, jalapeno1011, MusicalDreamerx, Cap3r and babygirl2580 for reviewing! :) Your comments have been nothing but positive and encouraging and I'm very grateful for that!**

**Let me just say, I'm pretty giddy about this chapter! This was a bit hard to write, but that was because it's an important chapter in my mind mostly with Aira and Thorin, therefore I wanted to word it just right. It's pretty special to me...and you'll see why :)**

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"How long have you been there?" Aira asked Thorin, shifting nervously in place.

"Long enough," he answered. He then gestured to her to come to him.

The Dwarf girl obeyed, drew near to him and knelt down on her knees in front of him. She looked up at his face which appeared serious yet calm. She was unsure whether or not she should be nervous or relaxed for whatever he was about to say. But she already had an idea of what he would speak of beforehand.

Aira rested her hands on his knees and said before he could speak, "I know what you will say." He raised his eyebrows at her. She continued, "You wish to speak of me joining your quest or…that day all those years ago."

Thorin moved a gentle hand over hers and replied, "Both, actually, but I wish to discuss the latter first."

The minute Thorin had made his presence known to her only moments ago, Aira knew right away this was what he wanted to talk to her about. He had said after he arrived at Bag End that they would talk later. _"I suppose 'later' is now,"_ Aira thought to herself.

"You cannot imagine what I've lived with and gone through all this time in dealing with your absence or, more importantly, how worried I was," Thorin told her, his tone growing more stern.

Aira lowered her head, dreading where he was going with this. She feared that maybe Kili was wrong; that Thorin, unlike everyone else, actually _was_ angry with her.

He continued, his voice becoming louder, "You disappeared for thirty years…_thirty years_, Aira…and it's my fault and, for that, I wish to apologize."

Aira's head shot up so swiftly, she almost gave herself whiplash. She stared at him, baffled. She didn't expect to hear those words from Thorin at all! How could he possibly believe that? "Why in Middle-Earth would you think that?" she exclaimed.

Thorin raised a hand and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Aira could see in his soft blue eyes a hidden sadness as he looked down at her.

"I heard everything my nephew told you out there and he was right about everything he said about me. I was very aware of your 'wild, carefree spirit', as Balin once said, but I kept you confined to the Blue Mountains when I could have at least spared a day or two to take you away and appease your yearning to see the world, even if only a little. And I know that you left in the dead of night because you feared I would try and stop you. You were forced to feel that way because of me and my wish to protect you." He took both of her hands in his. "You are a part of my family, Airaním, and that is all I ever want for you: to make sure you are safe and protected, but I took it too far in keeping you home longer than needed. And I am truly sorry, Aira."

Upon hearing his words, Aira was now completely dumbfounded. Everything he had spoken was not anything she had thought she would hear and, more importantly, she was utterly astonished to learn that Thorin had carried such guilt over her absence for those many years when he never should have. It had never been his fault!

"All this time," she said, "you have blamed _yourself_ for _my_ actions?" When Thorin remained silent and his eyes turned away, Aira hung her head low. "Oh, Thorin," she softly said, "it was never like that, no!" She lifted her head back up. "I perfectly understood your reasoning for everything. Yes, I might have thought that you would try and stop me, but I knew you would do so only with my best interests in mind. I did not run away because I thought you were too overprotective. I was just a foolish, naïve young woman whose impatience got the best of her in a moment of weakness. Please, do not blame yourself any longer for my irrational decision. It was _my_ fault and mine alone."

She bowed her head again, this time resting her forehead against Thorin's knees. "I am sorry and I promise to never run away like that again. Can you ever forgive me?"

Thorin placed a hand underneath Aira's chin and lifted her head, bringing her bright brown eyes, full of regret, to meet his deep blue ones, full of sympathy. Then he leaned forward and tenderly touched their foreheads together, sending a pleasant feeling of warmth through every fiber of Aira's being, his head just above hers in level. Aira felt his gentle hand that was under her chin move behind her head and the other wrapped around her shoulder and was pressed against her back. When it came to Thorin and Aira, this sort of physical contact was their way of reminding each other of the kind of bond they shared together; a close relationship that had developed between them over the course of many years.

Aira had been six years of age when Thorin took her into his home; still a small child who had been overcome with grief for her lost father. Because of the friendship between Rimedur and Thorin, Aira came to know the Dwarf King well enough that when she went to live with him, she was comfortable enough with it.

Often at night she would have dreams of her father and would wake up sobbing uncontrollably. Her room was close enough to Thorin's that, whenever this happened, he would always hear her and would go to her room to calm her down. When Aira would awake, she would always find herself in Thorin's comforting arms that would rock her back to sleep. It was a feeling she sorely missed from her own father, yet she found solace from that feeling with the Dwarf King. He would hold her close, letting her know he was always there. He would kiss her head and massage her back and shoulders. Despite the bitter person he had become since the attack on Erebor, his caring and compassionate side, that not many had the privilege to see and normally remained hidden, would unearth itself whenever he was with Aira.

Thorin, for a time, could never imagine himself as a father. Not even a father-like figure to someone. He never thought he would be good enough to be one. But then, Fili came along and he was soon followed by Kili. In helping his sister, Dis, raise them, Thorin came to realize that maybe he _did_ have it in him to be like a father. Then Airaním came and she was primarily going to be in his care more than anyone else. Even though he promised Rimedur he would take care of his daughter, the thought of being a guardian frightened the young King. He knew that Dis would gladly help him take care of her, but he also knew that she had her own sons to raise, too, and couldn't be there to help all the time. He was very full of self-doubt.

The first few nights when Thorin would hear Aira crying, he was always unsure of what to do and would just resort to holding her. Eventually, he found that, not only did that solution seem to help calm the young girl, but it had an effect on him as well. He understood her pain; he knew what it was like to lose a father, or close to it. His own father had disappeared and had not been seen for some time, but he had lost his grandfather, King Thror, who was pretty much his second father. They both were suffering the same way. Whenever Thorin saw Aira still hurting from her heartache, he saw himself in her eyes. There had never really been anyone to console Thorin in his grief after Thror had been lost, but he was determined to not let this poor, young child suffer alone the way he had. Each night, he would hold her close in his arms, giving her all the compassion he could give in the hopes that she would know that he was always there for her and that she was not alone.

From that time on, a strong and close connection formed between them. Thorin grew to care greatly for Aira like she was his own kin. Despite him always saying she was like a niece to him, Aira supposed deep down that it was more than that and perhaps he was just too proud to admit it. She never paid any mind to it, though. No matter what he thought of her, in her eyes, he would always be as close to a father as she would ever have. He often showed how much he cared for her through physical contact that both of them had grown accustomed to: embracing her closely, kissing her head and brow, gently caressing her cheeks, holding her hands and so forth, all in a way that a father would with his daughter. These gestures never ceased to calm and reassure Aira in any situation, much like the one she was in now, hoping that Thorin could forgive her for her foolish choice from thirty years ago.

She repeated to him a second time, "Can you ever forgive me, Thorin?"

At last, Thorin whispered to her, "There is nothing to forgive, Airaním."

A single, grateful tear fell from the corner of Aira's eye.

He added, "You have returned to us, at last…and that's all that matters."

* * *

**Kili's POV**

After leaving Aira to retire to bed, Kili entered into the bedroom that he and his brother were sleeping in for the night, closed the door and then leaned up against it, his mind spinning and his heart racing so unexpectedly after everything that had happened with Aira only moments before.

There were no words in any language of Middle-Earth to describe the sheer bewilderment he now felt after what had taken place. One moment, he had been speaking to Aira about the night she left, the next he was comforting her about it and then, before he knew it, he had fallen to the grass and landed on top of her after chasing her down a hill. The image of her smiling face clouded his sight and the sweet sound of her laugh echoed in his ears. He remembered being mesmerized by her all of a sudden in that instant. And, to add even more to his surprise, out of nowhere, he had felt the urge to kiss her and he had almost acted upon it!

_"What's happening to me?"_ Kili asked in his mind. When it came to Aira, this was so unlike him! She was his best friend and in all the years they'd been together, he had never had such thoughts about her. What was so different now that changed all that?

He felt so lost and confused and, whenever he felt that way, there was always one person he would go to for guidance and that person was asleep in the bed in the middle of the room, their back turned to him.

"Fili!" Kili whispered loudly, trying to wake his brother up and, at the same time, not wake up any of the Dwarves in the next door rooms. When Fili gave no response, he moved over to the bed and started nudging him. "Fili, wake up!"

Fili groaned. "What, Kili?" he asked, annoyed at being woken up and hoping his younger brother had a good reason for doing so.

"I need to talk to you about something, it's important."

"What could be so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

"It's about Aira."

Fili quickly sat up, now interested in what Kili was going to say. He looked at his brother with concern. "What about Aira? Is she all right?"

"Yes, yes, she's fine," Kili replied. "I guess, what I want to tell you isn't exactly about her, but more about me." He then proceeded to tell Fili everything that had taken place with him and Aira earlier.

"I don't know what's happening to me, Fili!" he said as he concluded his account. "All my life, I have only seen Aira as just a best friend. But when we were together out in the meadow; when I looked at her, everything about her seemed to shine even more in the moonlight and I saw her differently in that moment than I ever have before. She just looked so beautiful, more than ever, and something stirred inside me. I even felt the urge…to kiss her…and I almost did! Never in my life have I ever felt that sort of urge towards her and I don't understand it!"

Fili placed a reassuring hand on Kili's shoulder, trying to keep him from working himself up too much. Fili had listened to Kili's story intently, never interrupting, and he too was a little stunned at this sudden development in Kili's thoughts towards Aira.

Then Kili said to him, "Fili…I think I'm falling for her."

Fili's eyebrows raised and his eyes expanded.

"Even then, I'm not entirely sure," Kili was quick to add to his statement. "My mind keeps telling me that perhaps these feelings I'm suddenly having were just a spur of the moment, given the position we landed in, but they seem too strong to be just that." He groaned in frustration and let his face fall into his hands. "I'm so confused!" he said, muffled.

"I understand what you're going through, brother," Fili said, rubbing Kili's shoulder. "Or, as best as I can, anyway. And maybe you're right; maybe what you're feeling now is just a result from ending up in a close, intimate position with Aira, or a 'spur of the moment', as you put it. But then again, after hearing the way you have spoken about her just now…if you ask me, I think it's more than that. I think you really are falling for her."

Kili sat up, looking distressed. "She's my best friend," he said, "how could this happen?"

"Well, Kili, there are many men and women who start out just best friends and, along the way, it turns into something more. What you're going through isn't anything out of the ordinary."

"But I have never felt anything more for her like that."

"Most people don't for a while. In this case, Aira's been gone for years and has come back a new woman. She may be different in appearance, but she is still the same girl we grew up with and know very well. Those two things combined may be what is triggering these newfound stirrings inside you."

"I'm still not sure I understand."

Fili gave his still-confused brother an encouraging pat on the back. "You will in time, Kili. I promise. Give it a couple of days to see if those feelings keep coming back or not, then, with any luck, you will know and understand for sure. You will be all right and I'll always be here to help. Now, we'd best get some sleep." Fili turned and laid back down on the bed.

Knowing Fili was right, Kili moved himself under the sheets next to him, laid down, and closed his eyes, the image of Aira's face in the light of moon being the last thing he could see before he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

**Aira's POV**

"Now, there is the matter of you joining us on our quest…," said Thorin after a short moment of silence, leaning back against the armchair he was in.

Aira let out a breath and rolled her eyes, knowing this was coming. "You're going to try and convince me out of it for my own sake, aren't you?" she asked.

But the King shook his head. "No, I am not, nor am I going to approve of it right away," was his response that startled Aira once again. "I know of your skills in combat, so I am not worried about that. Really, I am leaving it up to you, but I do want to ask you: are you absolutely sure you want to do this? You know of the dangers and perils we will face and it will not be an easy journey."

Aira looked up at him and said, unwavering in her voice, "Erebor may not have been my home, Thorin, but it was _your_ home once, along with many others. Thus, it is _my_ home, too, and it would be anyway when it is reclaimed."

She paused, thinking for a minute, and then said, "There is a saying that says, 'home is where the heart is' and I came to realize just how true that is when I was away all these years." She reached up to the chain on her neck and pulled up her necklace of the Dwarven emblems. She held them out in her hand for Thorin to see. "Do you remember when you, Dis and the boys gave this to me?"

Thorin nodded, a half-smile curving in his lips.

"You all are my family and this is a symbol of that, which has never left my neck since the day I received it. My heart has always been with my family; here, my heart is with you, Fili and Kili." Aira eyes welled up with tears as she then said, "My home is wherever any of you are. Therefore, I will gladly follow you wherever you wish to go for this quest, for I will always be home as long as I am with the three of you."

Grinning proudly, Thorin stood up, taking hold of her arms and pulling her up from her knees with him, and pulled her into his embrace. "You truly are a blessing to us all, Airaním," he whispered. "If it is your wish to join in our quest, then I shall grant it unto you."

Aira squeezed him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered back.

They pulled away as Thorin told her, "You should get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." When she nodded in agreement, he kissed her brow and gave her a small nudge, signaling for her to go on to bed.

"Goodnight, Thorin," Aira said sweetly.

Thorin gave her one last warm smile, something that was really a sight to behold, and replied, "Goodnight and pleasant dreams, Aira."

They slept quite peacefully that night, both of them feeling happier than they had in over thirty years.

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**As usual, reviews or PM's with your thoughts/comments are very much welcome and appreciated! :)**


	7. Brother and Sister

**I know it's been a couple days since my last update and I apologize. I definitely want to try and avoid not updating for long periods of time, but school is starting to beat and kick me about now :P I'm doin' my best though to stay on top of this, despite all that!**

**And a HUGE thank you to mrsmiawallace88 and MusicalDreamerx (who are both really awesomazing, by the way :D) for your constant reviews and compliments :) they make me very happy! (if anyone hasn't read their Hobbit fanfics yet, READ THEM! they are super amazing!)**

**Enjoy, my dears! :)**

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She was rocking back and forth on her side, but not intentionally; it wasn't her causing the movements. Something was gripping her shoulder and making her move. Aira's eyes fluttered open slowly as she could hear her name being said.

A deep, raspy voice talked to her. "Aira? Aira! Best be gettin' up about now, lass!"

Aira turned over, waking up, and found herself face to face with a grinning Dwarf that she knew well; one that was taller and broader than most of the Dwarves, had a scraggly black beard and a bald, tattooed head.

"Well, good morning, Mister Dwalin," she said nicely as she sat up from her pillow. "I trust you slept well?"

He gave her a nod. "Did you?" he asked in return.

She nodded, too. "Indeed," she said. "In fact, I slept better than I have in ages, it feels like!"

Dwalin snickered and patted her on the knee over the sheets. "Thorin says we'll be heading out soon. I thought it best to get you up about now so you would have time to get yourself ready. Besides, I thought you'd be more pleased with _me_ waking you up now than being awakened by the two pranksters…in some way or another," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Aira couldn't help but chuckle. She could only imagine all the different obnoxious ways Fili and Kili could wake her up from sleep. "Thank you for that," she said through her laugh.

Dwalin grinned and turned to leave the room, but stopped when he heard Aira call for him again. He turned around to see what she wanted.

She was looking at him curiously. "Didn't you have hair when last I saw you?" she asked.

The older Dwarf sniggered at her question. "Aye, that I did," he answered, slapping the crown of his head, "but I did away with it. It was becoming too much to handle and so I shaved it all off and covered the bareness of my head with a few tattoo's."

Aira's eyebrows rose, interested in his explanation for no longer having hair. She took another close look at Dwalin and said him in a positive tone, "I rather like it! It suits you and it certainly gives more to that fierce, intimidating outlook I know you normally go for." She smirked. "A look, as you once told me, to 'match your tough personality', from what I recall."

This brought a lighthearted laugh from the muscular Dwarf as he made his way closer to the bedside next to the Dwarf girl. "I may generally come off as gruff and vicious in appearance, word and deed," he said, "but you, Miss Airaním, have always managed to bring out the soft side in me one way or another, no matter what." He raised a hand and playfully tapped her nose, making her giggle.

"I seem to have that effect on people," said Aira, thinking of how that same thing happened often with Thorin as well. Like him, Dwalin acting playful or unserious was something rarely seen. Although he was known to be a little quicker to be cheerful on some occasions, if he was in the mood to be so. Somehow, Aira had a way of bringing out the happy and compassionate sides of both the older Dwarves and she could never understand how she did it. She guessed it was just how she was; her good-hearted nature was rubbing off on them.

Dwalin was thinking the same thing and patted her lightly on the head. "You're a good lass, Aira, with a noble heart. Always have been. Don't ever let that change."

Aira looked up at her mentor and friend. "I wouldn't dream of it, Dwalin."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Dwalin moved from the bed and opened the door, revealing Fili behind it.

"Just thought I'd come see if Aira needed help getting her things ready," he explained as both he and the older Dwarf looked to Aira for a reply.

"I can get everything ready by myself, thank you," Aira responded, trying to sound polite. "Although, feel free to stay and keep me company, if you'd like."

Fili seized that opportunity and stepped into the room as Dwalin stepped out, saying "I'll leave you two be."

Aira wandered over to her pack lying at the foot of the foot of the bed and started rummaging through it, making sure she had everything she needed. "Do you have all of your own things ready?" she asked as she continued sorting.

"Absolutely," was Fili's simple answer.

After seeing everything was in its place in her pack, Aira quickly stood up and was going to start girding her weapons, but stopped short when she noticed Fili staring at her. "What…?" she asked, unsure of whether or not she should be curious or concerned.

He opened in his mouth in a grin, shrugged and responded, "I still just can't believe you're really here. And you haven't changed a bit; you're still as beautiful as I remember."

Aira suddenly blushed and her face beamed. He certainly hadn't lost his charm over the years, that much was certain. "You, on the other hand, have changed quite a lot," she said back. "Both you and Kili. You are no longer little boys; you have grown into Dwarf men! Now, maturity-wise, you may still act like little boys, but that was to be expected." She gave Fili a witty wink. "But I am floored by how much you both have changed physically. That was what surprised me the most when I saw you two last night, seeing how you've bloomed into men, and handsome ones, at that!"

"What? Did you ever think we _wouldn't_ grow up to be handsome lads?" Fili asked with an expression of fake offence.

The Dwarf woman laughed. "To be honest, I never really gave it much thought."

"Well, I can imagine you wouldn't have been able to, anyway, for some time now. You've been busy."

Aira knew what he was implying and felt her shoulders sag and grin disappear from her lips. He had a point. She figured she might as well get her request for forgiveness over with now. Fili was the last person she needed to apologize to and he clearly was hinting fact that to her.

"Fili…," she began, but Fili held up a hand to silence her.

"I know what you're going to say," he said, "and there's no need for it. I know you feel sorry for what you did. Kili told me what you said to him last night. You apologized to him and I can assume you have said something to Thorin by now, as well. I don't want you to feel like you have to apologize a third time. What Kili said to you counts for me, too."

Aira gave him a look of great gratitude as she sighed, "Thank you, Fili."

He just bowed his head. "Although, you should know," he went on, "that for a little while, my brother and I did not pull any jokes on people nor were we our usual, high-strung selves. We were _that_ sad and lost without you." Fili saw Aira beginning to look down again. He moved over by her and grabbed her shoulders encouragingly. "Think nothing of it, though. As you can see, it didn't last and, somewhere along the way, Kili and I went back to normal," he said with a cheeky grin, thinking that would help pick Aira's spirits back up.

But to his surprise, her eyes started tearing up and she only looked sadder than she had a second before.

Suddenly, Fili was worried that he had said something wrong; perhaps what he said about him and Kili had only brought back her guilt. He guided her back over to the bed and they sat down as she started softly crying. "Aira, what's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Exhaling sharply and letting a few more tears loose, Aira responded, choked up, "I—I just don't understand…! It's not that I'm ungrateful for all the sympathy from you, your brother and your uncle…but I just can't understand how the three of you can be so forgiving of me! Even Dwalin seems to be so, too!"

Fili looked at her, confused and wondering what in the world she was talking about.

"I disappeared for thirty years and with no word in all that time! Like I told Kili, any other person would be furious about that sort of thing. I don't deserve forgiveness…from any of you!"

It was then Fili started to see what she was saying. "But you are family, Aira!" he exclaimed, taking her hands. "Families forgive each other always. No matter what you do, nothing about that will ever change. We love you. _I _love you, Airaním. You are my sister and I mean that!" He wiped her cheeks free of tears. "Shed no more tears, sweet Aira. You are strong and everything is as it should be now."

In that moment, Aira couldn't feel more thankful for Fili and the kind, wonderful person he was. Growing up, he had looked out for her the same way he did his brother. He was the oldest of the three and naturally felt responsible for them. Kili was only a year older than Aira. They all vowed to always look out for each other, even though Fili took it upon himself more to look after the two younger ones; to be the big brother of the three of them. Aira, being the youngest, still took it upon her _own_ self to watch out for the brothers just as much as they would for her. She would never be the helpless girl; the weak one of the group and, lucky for her, Fili and Kili never allowed her to be such.

"Oh, Fili," she said as she leaned forward and planted a firm yet sweet, adoring kiss on his cheek. "You have always been my big brother and, for that, I couldn't be more grateful." They then hugged each other just like a brother and sister would. Every heartfelt moment she just had with Fili was something Aira deeply needed.

When they pulled apart, she then asked, "Speaking of brothers, where's Kili?"

"He and the others have already left," said Fili. "They're meeting us down at the entrance of Hobbiton where we left our ponies."

"That's where I left mine, too," said Aira as she thought of her own pony. Thorin had bought it for her when she was old enough to ride and have her own steed. She had named the lovely creature "Vega". She was never entirely sure where she got the name or how she came up with it, but when she received the pony, the name just seemed to fit for some reason.

"So are you saying it's just you and I left?" she then asked.

The blonde Dwarf shrugged and answered, "I guess so. I'm assuming Dwalin left after I came in here not too long ago. I did tell him earlier that I wanted a moment alone with you before we left so that we could talk; especially because I don't know how many moments like this we'll get on the journey."

"Well, I'm glad you did. However, we aren't entirely alone. I mean, Bilbo is still here, since this is his house."

"Yeah, but I knew he wasn't going to bother us. He's still asleep."

"Do you think he'll come?" Aira asked.

Fili's eyes looked to the ceiling in thought and then he said, "My answer is the same as what I said last night: I think he just may surprise us. What about you?"

Aira nodded. "I think he will," was her optimistic response. "Gandalf has faith in him, so therefore, I think that should be reason enough for us to, as well. And I saw the look in his eyes when the wizard told us that he has more to offer than any of us know, including himself. He was amazed to see how much Gandalf believed in him. I even saw a bit of a spark in his eyes like he was thinking, 'If Gandalf believes I have something to offer to this quest, why should I not go along then?' I don't think Bilbo will forget that so easily."

"I suppose we'll see," Fili said in reply. "So, do you have everything ready, then?"

"Yes, I do. I didn't bring very much with me, anyway."

"How could you not have very much with as long as you've been gone?"

"I did lose a few things, traded some here and there. Really, I didn't have many supplies with me when I left in the first place."

Fili just shrugged. "All right, then," he said, deciding to let that topic go. "We'd best get on our way. I know Thorin wants to leave as soon as we catch up with them and we don't want to keep him waiting."

Aira grabbed her pack and her weapons from the floor. "What are we waiting for, then?" she asked, heading for the door and ready to go. Fili leapt for the door and, being the gentleman that he was, opened the door for Aira. They both made their way to the front room of Bag End where Fili's things were waiting for him. He gathered his own belongings and the two of them stepped out of the Hobbit hole into the crisp, warm outdoors underneath the early morning sun. Fili shut the round, green door behind them and they walked carefully down the porch steps leading down to the gate.

Once Fili took care of the gate, Aira looked at him anxiously and cried, "Last one there's a stupid mountain troll!" Then, immediately, she burst into a sprint down the road, cackling mischievously.

"It won't be me!" Fili called out as he ran to catch up with her and intending to beat her in her little race.

The two of them ran as fast as they could down the winding roads of Hobbiton, shoving each other aside as they passed one another every now and then in an attempt to win the chase. Fili eventually got ahead of Aira, showing off his new agility and speed that she swore he didn't have when they were younger. But she had those same things, too, and decided to use them on Fili. She dashed after her friend and effortlessly jumped onto his back, causing him to stumble forward a few steps. To her surprise, however, he didn't try to shake her off. Instead, he kept running with her on his back.

"Fili, what are you—" she started, but then she cut herself off with the sound of her laughter at Fili's persistence of running while carrying her on his backside.

"It looks like we're at an impasse, my dear!" Fili exclaimed, still running. "Now we're both going to be stupid mountain trolls!"

"Agreed!" Seeing that Fili was not going to stop and let her down, Aira tightened her arms around his neck and his legs around his waist so she wouldn't tumble off, giggling almost the whole way.

Within minutes, they caught sight of the company, all ready to go and waiting for them with the ponies. The two of them were given many different looks from the others; looks ranging from confused, surprised, happy, curious or glad. Both Aira and Fili simply ignored them all. They didn't care what the others thought. They were having fun the way they used to as children; something they didn't expect to have much of once their journey began.

"Nice of you two juveniles to finally join us," said Gloin who gave them a teasing glance.

"Oh, please, you were not waiting _that_ long," said Aira back.

"When you've been awake as long as most of us have been this morning, it sure feels like it," Nori stated, ruffling with his fluffy, braided brown beard.

"And whose fault is that?" asked Fili rhetorically, giving the Dwarf with the zany hairstyle a slap on the shoulder before clasping his brother's arm, who had just approached them, leading a pony.

Kili smiled brightly at Aira who smiled back. "I do believe this pretty thing belongs to you," he said, holding out the pony's reins to her.

She took the reins from him. "Aye, she does. Good morning, Vega, my girl!" she said happily as she stroked the cream-colored pony's snout and mane. The animal gave a happy little "neigh" in response and lifted her head up and down. She turned her eyes back to Kili and thanked him, earning a hearty "You're quite welcome" from the young Dwarf Prince.

Thorin came up next to Vega and he started running his hand through her mane too, his face looking calm as he admired her. "I remember this pony well," he said.

Aira laughed. "I would certainly hope you would. You were the one who gave her to me."

"Indeed, I did." Thorin moved his hand over hers and firmly clasped it for a brief moment before calling out, "We're all here and ready now. Everyone, saddle up and let's move out!"

Aira grinned as she sighed, mounted her pony and quoted out loud, "We must away ere break of day."

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**And so it begins! :D**

**Don't forget to leave a review or send me a PM with your thoughts or any questions you may have!**

**Will try to update soon!**


	8. Certain Mindset

**Sorry for taking a little while to get this updated! Been super busy with school and other things. That and I also went and saw "The Hobbit" again...TWICE! ;D**

**Hope you like this chapter! It's kinda short and I apologize. I was gonna make it longer but I really wanted to get something posted, so I cut it a little short and the rest will come in the next one.**

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"Is Bilbo not coming, then?" Bofur asked Aira and Fili as the company began their trek away from Hobbiton.

Aira shrugged her shoulders and answered the Dwarf, "I don't know, Bofur. If he gets out of bed within the next few minutes and runs as fast as his little Hobbit feet can carry him, he could very well still catch up with us."

"Do you really think he could run that fast?" asked Kili, riding up next to her.

She slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand and let out a little cry. "Don't be rude, Kili," she said. "Besides, your legs aren't that much longer than his, so I wouldn't be making jokes."

Fili and Bofur chuckled at Aira's remark.

Kili rolled his eyes, "Oh, all right," he said, defeated.

Aira looked back to Bofur and asked him the same thing she had asked Fili earlier, "Do you think Bilbo will come, Bofur?"

Bofur let out a puff of smoke from his pipe. "You know me, lass," he said. "I like to think positively and keep happy thoughts about these sorts of things. So, aye, I'll say I believe Bilbo _will_ decide to tag along!"

"I'll say yes, too," said Kili, raising a hand.

However, Nori, who was riding next to Bofur and had been listening to the conversation, was not as enthusiastic about the Hobbit as they were. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. Gentle, harmless folk like Mister Baggins really have no place in a company such as ours. He doesn't know how to fight or defend himself and it would only be a matter of time before he gets himself killed. He knows this and he'd be better off not coming."

Aira was floored by Nori's pessimistic attitude. She then mumbled through the corners of her mouth to Fili and Kili, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

The brothers nodded in agreement.

"I'm only speaking the truth," said Nori, having heard Aira's comment.

"Care to make a wager on that, Nori?" she asked him almost as a challenge. "I'll bet five silver pieces that Bilbo will sign the contract that was left for him and will decide to join us within the next hour."

Nori nodded and responded, "I'll take that bet!"

The others had overheard their deal and decided to take part in it. Mostly, everyone believed Bilbo wouldn't turn up. Aira, Fili, Kili and Bofur were still the only ones of the Dwarves who thought otherwise, but naturally Gandalf was on their side, as well. The only person impartial to it all was Ori. He kind of agreed with Aira and them, but he didn't want to bet against both his brothers, especially since Nori was one of the ones that started the whole thing, so young Ori decided to just stay out of it.

Soon, the company of Dwarves, plus a wizard, had made their way out of the Shire and onto the roads outside of the peaceful land. Aira turned back and stared at the beautiful landscapes they were leaving behind. She would miss this place. Maybe sometime in the future she would return and see it again, or, at least, she hoped she would.

"If only the rest of the world could be as peaceful as the Shire," said Bofur's voice near her. He caught her looking back with such admiration in her eyes. "These would be merrier times we'd live in, indeed, if it were so."

"Perhaps someday that will come true," Aira said brightly. Then she added with a confident smile, "Do not give up that hope for a better future, Bofur. We could use more of your kind of optimism in this world."

Aira adored Bofur. He was one of the sweetest Dwarves she had ever met and one of her closest friends and confidants, apart from the Princes. He always knew how to make Aira smile and could easily lift her spirits by playing a merry little ditty on his flute.

"Why, thank you, lassie!" Bofur exclaimed with a big smile.

* * *

**Kili's POV**

While Aira and Bofur continued to chat, Kili moved back and rode next to his brother. He leaned over and said to him in a hushed voice, "You were ready to go the same time I was…and yet you stayed behind. Why?"

Fili replied, "I wanted to have a moment alone with Airaním. She apologized to you last night and I knew she was going to want to do the same to me, so I got her alone so we could talk."

"And did she apologize?"

Fili shook his head. "I wouldn't let her. I told her that I knew she did so with you and that what you said to her counted for me, too." He looked over at Aira who was riding a few feet in front of them, laughing at something Bofur had just said to her. "You know, she still hasn't quite been able to grasp the fact that we forgive her. In her mind, she sees her leaving as something inexcusable and she doesn't understand."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her we forgive her easily because she is family and families always forgive each other." Fili then thought of something to say and decided to say it to see his brother's reaction. He tilted his head and spoke, "I also told her I loved her…."

Kili's reaction: his eyes grew huge with shock and he whipped his head around so fast, he felt his neck crack and he winced at the slight pain caused from it.

"…as a _sister_, Kili!" Fili said as he gave his brother a pat on the arm, now completing his thought.

Kili shot him a look that said, _"That wasn't funny."_

"I know what you're thinking and I would never do anything like that," Fili explained, "especially after how you came to me last night about Aira. And you needn't worry, brother. I know in the past we've competed against each other multiple times for the affections of ladies we both fancied, but that will not happen this time. Aira is very dear to me, but she has become too much of a sister to me for me to ever see her as anything else."

Kili gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you for telling me that, Fili," he said.

Then the older brother looked at him inquisitively. "So, after sleeping on it, did anything change?" he asked in regards to Kili's sudden change in feelings for Aira.

Looking towards Aira, Kili sighed. "No," he answered. "I look at her now and I still see her as the most beautiful Dwarf woman I have ever laid eyes on." There couldn't have been more truth to his words. As he gazed at Aira, who was still smiling, he felt his chest grow warm and tighten a bit at the sight of her lovely smile; one that could always brighten his day and now was a mesmerizing sight for him to behold. "This is still so strange to me," he continued after a brief moment. "I have had feelings for other women before, but never like this. What is it about Aira that makes her so different from any of the others?"

"She's your best friend, you know her better than you know yourself," Fili explained. "As kids, you never think of having any sort of romantic thoughts about your best friend when they're a girl because, at a young age, you think that's gross; inappropriate. And as you get older and you still remain friends, that mindset tends to stick with you. Sometimes, however, that still can change. You start to see and think of others differently as you get older, too. You and Aira have been apart for years and that childlike mindset I mentioned is still somewhat embedded in your head. Now that you have reunited with her and you see how she's changed, something inside you turns that certain mindset around because you're older and you see her differently. It's a bit difficult to explain."

Kili shook his head. "No, that was good enough," he said. "I think I'm starting to understand a little better, but this is still something that will take a while for me to get used to."

"Well, don't take too long," said Fili. "You wouldn't want things to go unspoken with her for too much time. We're going on a dangerous journey and if something happens before—"

"Don't say that!" Kili said sharply, grabbing Fili's sleeve in a rough grasp. The look he gave his brother started off as an irritated glare, but then it slowly morphed into a stare full of apprehension. "I cannot bear to think of something happening to Aira, not after when we just got her back," he said, the fear in his voice coming through with every word.

"Neither can I, Kili," Fili replied calmly, "but it is something you need to keep in mind; that _we _need to keep in mind."

"I know." Kili knew he was right, but the thought of anything happening to Aira made his body ache down to the bone. She was his closest friend, he couldn't lose her.

_"Especially now, since I may be developing feelings for her,"_ he thought to himself. Even though Kili knew that Aira was a skilled fighter and fierce warrior and could take care of herself, he swore to himself then and there that he would do everything he could and more to protect her. _"I would have protected her anyway…but my unexpected change of heart definitely alters things now."_

Just then they all heard the sound of someone shouting to them. Everyone stopped and turned around to see Bilbo running towards them, panting and the contract waving in his hand.

Kili could feel himself grinning at the sight of the Hobbit and he shared a glance with Fili, who was also grinning. He had come just like they figured. They both looked over at Aira, who had the same expression on her face. They were all happy to see Bilbo had made it.

"I signed it!" he exclaimed as he gave the contract to Balin, who took out a small looking glass to authenticate it.

After a minute, Balin smiled, folded the contract and announced, "Everything appears to be in order." He looked down at the Hobbit and said with gladness, "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield!"

"Give him a pony!" Thorin ordered from the front as they began moving forward again.

Bilbo started to protest. "Oh, no, that won't be necessary, thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot," he said and started going on about doing his fair share of walking.

Aira turned around and looked to Fili and Kili who were riding up just behind Bilbo. Seeing no point in letting his rambling continue, she glanced at the brothers and gestured with her head to Bilbo, saying, "Lads, if you don't mind…!"

They gave her an acknowledging nod, nodded to each other and then they both grabbed Bilbo on either side by the shoulders, making him cry out, and hoisted the reluctant Hobbit up onto a pony.

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**Gotta love Fili and Kili there ;)**

**Thoughts, comments? You know the drill! Review or PM me! :) **


	9. Wagers and Massages

**I can't believe all the great feedback I've been getting these past few days, it's incredible! You all are absolutely wonderful :)**

**A big thank you once again to mrsmiawallace88 and MusicalDreamerx as well as tessastarchild, luna and ZabuzasGirl for your reviews! They mean a lot to me!**

**I feel just a tad bit iffy about this chapter...I think it could be a little better, but who knows? It could very well be good enough the way it is. I'll let you guys decide! ;) Enjoy!**

**(mrsmiawallace88: There is a small portion of this chapter that's dedicated to you, deary :) I'm sure you'll figure it out once you read it! ^^)**

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As the Oakenshield company continued onward, Airaním couldn't help but giggle at Bilbo riding next her, looking very uncomfortable on the pony he had been practically forced on by Fili and Kili. She could tell he'd never ridden one before, being a Hobbit and all. The small horse threw its head back and neighed, making Bilbo flinch and Aira started chuckling again. Finally she said to him, "She likes you, Bilbo."

Bilbo looked at her, confused. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I just do," was her answer. "Trust me, there's nothing to be afraid of. She's just a harmless pony, you'll get used to her. Ponies can tell if their rider is afraid or nervous in any way and I believe that's why she just tossed her head at you. She's telling you she likes you and there's no need to be nervous. Go ahead and pet her, let her know you're not afraid. It's all right."

Timidly, Bilbo reached out and stroked the pony's mane. His face softened as he continued this action. "What's her name?" he asked Aira.

She looked down at the pony and replied, "Myrtle, I believe is her name."

A little grin appeared on the Hobbit's face as he finished running his hands through Myrtle's hair. "You know what? I believe I'm getting used to her already." Bilbo gave Aira a glad and happy glance. "Thank you, Miss Aira."

"You're welcome. And please call me 'Aira'. None of that 'Miss' talk," she said with a wink. "There's no need for formalities."

"Well, you can't blame the good fellow for being a gentleman in the presence of a lovely lady," said a voice. Both Aira and Bilbo's heads turned to see Gandalf coming up in between them on his horse. Then they looked at each other and Bilbo's face reddened slightly, a sign that what the wizard had said wasn't entirely false.

Aira inched her pony over to give Gandalf room to ride beside them, smiling at him for his nice comment. "Gandalf, you flatter me," she said. "And you make the dear Master Hobbit here blush." Looking at Bilbo reminded her of the bet she made with Nori. She noticed he was riding not too far ahead of her and called out, "All right, Nori, pay up!" She could hear the Dwarf mutter something to himself before tossing a small pouch over his shoulder. Aira caught it with ease and chuckled to herself, satisfied at being right and winning a bet. Within seconds, the rest of the Dwarves who had lost the bet were tossing pouches of coins to the other Dwarves who had won.

"What's that about?" asked Bilbo.

"Oh, we took wagers on whether or not you'd turn up," Aira answered, tossing her coin bag up and down in her hand.

"Most of them bet that you wouldn't," Gandalf told him.

Bilbo gave him a curious look. "And what did you think?"

Gandalf sighed loudly and then caught a coin pouch without even looking. He fumbled with the bag and then replied as he put it into his satchel, "My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second."

Just then, Bilbo gave a small sneeze. Thinking an explanation was needed for it, he simply said, "Oh, its horse hair…having a reaction." He put his hands in his pockets and started looking about back and forth between them. "Wait, wait, stop!" he cried out. "Stop! We have to turn around."

The company stopped and eyed the Hobbit with irritated stares. What was going on with him now?

"What on earth is the matter?" asked Gandalf.

"I forgot my handkerchief," Bilbo replied quickly.

Aira rolled her eyes and groaned. He couldn't be serious….

"Here," called Bofur who ripped a piece of his shirt off, "use this." He tossed the fabric back to Bilbo who caught it and looked at it with disgust.

_"Once again, there's Bofur trying to help Bilbo in all the wrong ways…,"_ Aira thought as she shook her head at what just happened. She heard Thorin call out for everyone to move on and the company began to move forward again. Aira moved Vega off to the side and stayed in place while the others moved on. She decided that now she wanted to ride by Fili and Kili, who were in the very back of the line.

As she waited, she could hear Gandalf say to Bilbo, "You will have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire. Home is now behind you. The world is ahead."

Aira exhaled sharply. "Right you are, Gandalf," she said quietly to herself.

"Has your pony suddenly lost the ability to move?" she could hear Kili ask her as he and Fili came up behind her on their ponies.

"No!" she exclaimed in a teasing, defensive tone. "I was just waiting for you two to come by so I could ride with you."

Kili's expression grew merrier as he said good-humoredly, "Did you hear that, brother? She was waiting for us! How sweet is that?"

"Very sweet, indeed!" Fili responded in the same manner.

Aira rolled her eyes at them. "Did you both get your winnings for the wager?" she asked.

They both nodded.

"We showed Nori!" Aira boasted.

"We showed _everyone_ in believing Bilbo would come," said Fili.

Aira's eyes lifted to look to the front of the line. "Thorin especially looked surprised to see him," she said. When they had heard Bilbo shouting and stopped to wait for him, she had noticed Thorin's reaction when they stopped. He had turned around, looking over his broad, fur-covered shoulder with watchful eyes, and stared at the approaching Hobbit. Aira even swore she saw the corners of his lips twitch slightly upward, as if he was almost glad to see Bilbo had made it after all. Either that or he couldn't believe that he had been proven wrong by a wizard and three younger Dwarves plus Bofur and just couldn't help but smirk at the thought, which, to Aira, seemed more likely.

Her thoughts began to wander as she thought about Thorin back in that moment. Where they had stopped, the morning sun peeked in through the trees perfectly behind him, adding more radiance to his already regal image. The way that he glanced over his shoulder, letting his sight roam over his companions behind him before reaching the Halfling, could make any creature stop in its tracks. Before she had looked back to Fili and Kili, Thorin's gaze had met hers and Aira felt her muscles freeze for a small moment in awe of him. It amazed her just how kingly he truly appeared and he clearly had grown more majestic with the passing years. She knew this in her mind already about the Dwarven leader that she admired, but it all had really dawned on her again in that brief moment.

When their eyes met, she had smirked and raised her eyebrows to him jokingly, as if to say, _"I told you so,"_ in regards to Bilbo. In response, Thorin simply gave a shake at his head at her teasing. _"Oh, how I've missed that noble, stubborn Dwarf!"_ she had thought then.

The sound of Kili's loud voice in Aira's ear pulled her out of reminiscing as she jumped. Both he and Fili were eyeing her peculiarly. "What?" she asked.

"We said something to you, but your head was way up in the clouds," said Fili.

"Oh, sorry!" Aira apologized.

"It's nice to see that your endlessly wandering mind hasn't changed," said Kili with a grin.

"You have no idea…," Aira said back, close to a mumble. Before either of them could ask what she meant, she asked, "What was it you said to me? I'm sorry."

Fili merely smirked and answered back, "Honestly, we didn't say anything until we noticed the very distant look in your face. Then we said we'd sneak your winnings from Nori out of your bag while you were lost in thought!"

While the brother's started snickering at her, Aira started ruffling through her bag latched onto Vega's saddle, making sure the coin purse was still there. Sure enough, her hand found it within seconds. She looked up, staring at the two Dwarves carefully, and they started chuckling louder at her expense.

"Very funny, you two!" she jeered at them.

* * *

The day passed quickly for the company as they continued on over the vast ranges and rivers beyond the Shire. The beauteous lands they traveled through were truly a sight to behold, but the Dwarves began to feel more comfortable once they reached the rocky foothills. It made them feel more at home being up in the mountain-like rises above the wide valleys below. Time had gone by rather fast, it seemed. It helped that they all passed the time easily with continuous conversations and the playing of music every once in a while, provided mostly by Bofur on his flute and Dwalin with his violin. Aira was still stunned at how such a brawny Dwarf could handle such a delicate instrument without difficulty.

Soon, day turned into night and the setting sun disappeared behind the horizon of the lowlands. As darkness came, Thorin informed the company that they would make camp for the night and rest in a clearing on a large cliff. Tired, everyone laid out their bedrolls on the ground and began to relax while Bombur and Airaním, who graciously offered to help, prepared their supper, which was some rabbit and pheasant that had been caught by Gloin, Dori, Fili and Kili. The meats tasted like delicacies to the Dwarves. Even Bilbo found it quite satisfactory. It was mostly thanks to Bombur, who had a knack for making a mean meal. All he had Aira do was mind the spit while he worked his cooking magic. She didn't mind that, at all. At least she was doing something to help.

Once supper was finished, everyone knew it was time to retire for the night and regain their strength for the next leg of their journey. It didn't take long for a majority of the company to fall fast asleep. Fili and Kili were assigned first watch.

Aira, however, could not bring herself to sleep easily. She had been finding it hard to sleep lately, her mind being overwhelmed with unpleasant dreams of her past again. They were different now than they had been when she was a young child, but these were ones she didn't ever wish to talk about. Somehow, she had been able to sleep just fine the previous night, which she figured was because of her reunion with her friends and the heirs of Durin; her family, and the joy she had felt from it, but now she was afraid that her frightening dreams would return. So she simply laid on her back and stared up at the stars for hours, it felt like.

Finally, when she figured she would not get to sleep anytime soon, Aira stood up. She pulled her coat out of her pack and pulled it on to keep warm. It was another item that Thorin Oakenshield had given to her years ago and it was similar to his own in appearance. Hers was made of maroon fabric with cream-colored fur that cascaded down the shoulders and lined the edges. It definitely made her feel like royalty every time she donned it; it was yet another bit of home that she held onto while she had been away.

Quietly, so as to not wake any of the others, Aira walked over to Fili and Kili who were sitting up against a large rock wall near a fire. Fili was smoking his pipe and Kili was playing with a tuft of grass in front of him.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Not at all!" Kili answered, gesturing to the ground next to him where Aira then sat herself.

Fili pulled his pipe away from his mouth and asked, "Can't sleep?"

Aira shook her head. "No, my back is a little sore from having to work that spit at supper for quite a while and it's been bothering me, is all," she said, knowing that was only half-true. Yes, her back was sore a bit, but that wasn't the real reason she couldn't sleep. She didn't want to tell the brothers the real reason. Not yet, anyway. She knew she couldn't keep anything from them for long, but for right now, she would try her best for her sake and for theirs.

"Here, come closer," said Kili, patting the ground right next to his leg. "I'll give your back a rubdown to help ease the pain." Kili really was trying to do something polite for Aira, but, in all honesty, he had hastily made that suggestion due to his new feelings for her than just out of friendly kindness.

Aira was a little surprised at his quick offer, but gave him a grateful smile nonetheless. She figured it couldn't hurt to let him do so. "That would be lovely, Kili, thank you," she said to him, moving right by him, removing her coat and turning so her back was facing him.

_"Smooth, brother!"_ Fili, who was grinning from ear to ear behind them, thought to himself.

Kili repositioned himself on his knees, laid his hands on Aira's shoulders and started massaging them gently, his thumbs kneading deep into them. Aira closed her eyes, feeling a tender pain rise in her neck and shoulders shortly before it subsided with Kili's continuous circular motions. Soon, his hands wandered their way down her back to her shoulder blades and began working at the knots they could feel in her back. Aira gasped sharply as he found a really tight one just under her right shoulder blade that sent a sting through her backside.

He jerked his hands back, afraid he'd been too hard on her. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No, it's all right," Aira reassured him. "You found a tense spot just then, that's all. Please, don't stop." She had no idea why she added that last plea. It came out before she even realized what she was saying. When the Dwarf woman thought about it, she found Kili's massages very relaxing and felt every bit of soreness leave her body with each rounded movement of his firm yet still gentle hands.

_"Am I enjoying this a bit more than I should?"_ she wondered.

Her eyes closed again as his hands resumed their ministrations, this time on the small of her back and working their way around to her waist. She stiffened at first to his sudden touch so low on her body, but then gave in to it with ease. His smooth movements made her skin tingle underneath the fabric of her shirt. How was Kili so good at this? Just then, Aira could sense his face close behind her as he leaned his head down, concentrating on kneading her lower back. She felt the warm sensation of his breath on her neck that sent shivers down her spine. They felt strangely good to her and that caused a smile of satisfaction to move on her lips.

The answer to the question in her head came immediately: _"Yes, I believe I am."_

_._

**As usual, send a review or PM my way if you have any thoughts or comments you want to share with me :)**

**Stay tuned!**


	10. Once You Had Gold

**Wow, over 3,000 views? Amazing! :D**

**The song used later in this chapter as well as the title of it is "Once You Had Gold" by Enya. I absolutely love her voice and all the work she did with some of the music in "Lord of the Rings". This song is one of my favorites of hers and it's one that I thought would fit perfectly in this story. I may use another one of her songs later, too...if you want to hear what it sounds like, just search "once you had gold enya" on YouTube and the first video should work just fine! ^^**

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A shrill roar suddenly sounded in the air, making Kili, Aira and Fili jump in surprise. Kili's hands gripped Aira's shoulders protectively.

Bilbo, who had gotten up only moments before and was with his pony, turned around, pointed outward and asked, "What was that?"

Kili gave a one word answer in a serious tone: "Orcs."

"Orcs?" Bilbo repeated, evidently a little scared, as he crept back in their direction.

Aira heard movement behind her and looked to see Thorin jolting awake at the mention of the word "Orcs" and looking around. She tensed up herself, thinking that those foul creatures could be anywhere.

"Throat cutters, there'll be dozens of them out there," Fili answered Bilbo. "The lowlands are crawling with them."

_"Really? Is it everyone's goal to scare the living daylights out of poor Bilbo?"_ Aira wondered as she saw his uncomfortable-looking face in the firelight.

Kili continued in a hushed, suspenseful voice, "They strike in the wee, small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood…!"

Bilbo looked down at Aira, now more frightened at what Fili and Kili were saying. She was unsure of what to do or say to comfort him.

But then she heard the brothers snickering quietly behind them. She noticed that they were messing with Bilbo and thought it was something to laugh about. Aira smacked Kili in the shoulder, threw a small stone at Fili and scolded them in a hushed voice, "You idiots!"

She went to say more, but Thorin's deep, stern voice cut her off. "You think that's funny?"

Fili and Kili's chuckling stopped immediately.

"You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

Kili hung his head low, looking sorry and pitiful. "We didn't mean anything by it."

Thorin walked past Bilbo, making his way to the edge of the cliff. "No, you didn't. You know _nothing_ of the world!" he said with a dark voice.

Only on rare occasion had Aira seen Thorin in such a brooding mood. Yes, Fili and Kili shouldn't have been teasing Bilbo about such a thing, but Thorin didn't need to be so cross with them. She glanced at Kili who really looked regretful at upsetting his uncle. She took his hand in hers and grasped it tight. When their eyes met, she gave him a look of reassurance.

"Don't mind him, laddie," said the voice of Balin near them. He approached the rock wall they were sitting by and glanced down at the three of them. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs."

The three young ones looked up to Balin and then turned their inquiring gazes to Thorin, who stood with his back to them at the cliff's edge, his hands clasped behind his back and gazing out in the distance.

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain," Balin began, "King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria…but our enemy had got there first."

Aira got herself comfortable, thinking she knew already of the story Balin was going to tell them, but wanted to listen anyway.

"Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin." Balin's voice turned grimmer as he went on. "He began…by beheading the king."

Aira began to remember hearing this story before from Thorin, but it had only been a small summation of it. All he had ever told her concerning his grandfather was simply that he had been killed in this battle of which Balin spoke. Now she knew exactly _how_ King Thror had died and it made her stomach twist. She had known of the pale Orc before, but never knew the entirety of his involvement in the battle, which she recalled Thorin saying was called the Battle of Azanulbizar.

Her eyes wandered over to where he stood, unable to envision the horror he must have experienced then. As she thought about it, she could almost hear the triumphant roar of the pale monster and Thorin's heart-wrenching scream that must have escaped his throat at the death of his mighty grandfather.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief," Balin continued. "He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us." It was almost too terrible to imagine, Aira thought, as she got drawn more and more into Balin's story. But then a smile appeared underneath his white beard that brought relief as he said, "That is when I saw him: a young Dwarf Prince facing down the pale Orc! He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield."

_"And thus the name 'Oakenshield' was born unto Thorin, son of Thrain,"_ Aira said in her mind.

The old Dwarf gazed down with sincere eyes. "Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken," he said to them, letting the heirs of Durin know that they were of a strong, noble line that would not be destroyed; a fact that Thorin had ultimately proven. Even though Aira was not a direct descendant like Thorin, Fili and Kili, she was still thought of and looked upon as like an heiress of Durin anyway. She had strength, courage and honor enough to be like those of his noble blood.

"Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back." As Balin spoke these confident words, Aira could distantly hear in the back of her mind the young Prince Thorin, bold and daring, courageously sounding the battle cry to rally the Dwarven forces to his command. "Our enemy had been defeated." Then Balin's face saddened briefly. "But there was no feast nor song that night…for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived." His eyes turned and looked to the direction of Thorin, who had been silent the entire time, lost in his thoughts and memories. Aira, Fili and Kili followed Balin's gaze as he said, at last, "And I thought to myself then: there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call _King_."

Thorin turned around and looked to his companions, his expression burdened heavily with the sorrow he had borne for many years from the memory of that horrific day. The rest of the company had awakened during the telling of Balin's tale and all were now looking to their leader in wonder. He, this King-in-exile; the rightful King Under the Mountain, merely stood tall and proud as his rueful look changed to one full of calmness and strength and he began to walk back from the cliff's edge towards his company.

"And the pale Orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked Balin.

Thorin was the one to answer him while he made his way back to the rock he had been sleeping on moments ago. "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago," he answered spitefully as if talking about the pale Orc left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Aira, out of the corner of her eye, noticed Gandalf and Balin exchange glances that seemed to disagree with what Thorin had just said. That made her a bit curious.

Before she could think anything of it, she heard Thorin say, "Everyone, get some sleep. Fili, Kili, you both can rest now."

"I don't know if I'll be able to get back to sleep after all that," Bilbo said.

"Well, try your best, Bilbo," Aira said to him politely.

"I have an idea!" Ori cried out. "I know Aira has a good voice; why doesn't she sing us a song to help us all get to sleep?"

Aira's head whipped around to look at Ori. "What?" she said. "No, no, no, I can't do that," she protested.

"And why not?" asked Balin. "I think it's a splendid idea! We could use something to lift our spirits a little and to help us rest."

The other Dwarves all gave cries of agreement, despite Aira shaking her head and protesting. She didn't always feel comfortable singing, even in front of people she knew well.

"I don't know…," she said anxiously.

"Please, Aira?" she heard Fili ask nicely behind her. "It's been a long time since any of us have heard your lovely voice."

Aira sighed and decided to give in. "All right," she huffed. "I think I know something that will work. It worked for me. All of you get yourselves comfortable because, before I do this, I have to preface it with an explanation. A brief one, at that, since we just spent some time listening to another tale." She watched as everyone laid down on their bedrolls and curled up under their blankets.

She cleared her throat and began. "While I was away, my travels eventually took me to Rohan, one of the great kingdoms of Men. There, I came across a woman named Maori, who was actually half-Dwarf. She was very kind to me and we became fast friends. I told her of my travels and she insisted I stay in her home for a little while instead of in an inn and I accepted. There were a few nights where I had trouble getting to sleep and she would sing me a lullaby that her mother sang to her as a child. It was one that came from Maori's grandmother, whose back-story is actually rather similar to the Dwarves of Erebor. She had lived in a wealthy village in Rohan that had been taken and overrun by Wargs and Wild Men and those in the village were driven from their homes. This lullaby was conceived from that terrible tragedy…and I believe most of you can relate to it." Aira's eyes looked over to Thorin as she said that.

She took a deep breath and began to sing a slow and lovely melody in a high, sweet voice,

_Once you had gold, once you had silver,_

_Then came the rains out of the blue._

_Ever and always, always and ever,_

_Time gave both darkness and dreams to you._

_Now you can see spring becomes autumn,_

_Leaves become gold, falling from view._

_Ever and always, always and ever,_

_No one can promise a dream come true._

_Time gave both darkness and dreams to you._

_What is the dark shadow around you?_

_Why not take heart in the new day?_

_Ever and always, always and ever,_

_No one can promise a dream for you._

_Time gave both darkness and dreams to you._

As Aira's lullaby ended, she realized that her eyes had closed in the middle of it. She opened them to find that all of the Dwarves were sound asleep and snoring softly. It had worked. Her eyes found Thorin, who was also deep in slumber. She noticed how calm he appeared and smiled. He looked more at peace than ever.

"That was beautiful."

Aira turned and saw Kili lying on his side, staring at her with wide, amazed puppy eyes.

Her head tilted slightly. "Was it not good enough to lull _you_ to sleep, Prince?" she asked, pretending to be offended that he was not slumbering.

Kili shook his head. "Believe me, I started to," he said, "but then I forced myself to stay awake because I wanted to hear the entire song. I didn't want to miss a thing. I wanted to hear your angelic voice all the way through."

His sweet words made Aira's cheeks grow warm and she felt a slight flutter in her chest. She knew him to be charming, but he was never _this_ charming to her! Surprisingly, Aira found it rather nice and refreshing. "That's so kind of you, Kili. Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Bring your things by me and come sleep over here," Kili said, not quite as a suggestion but more as a request.

Aira agreed, got up and gathered her belongings and then laid them and her bedroll right next to Kili, who inched over a little to give her some room. She situated herself down on her makeshift bed and covered herself with her blanket. Then she moved to her side to face Kili, their faces only inches away.

"Quite a story we heard tonight, wasn't it?" he asked her in a whisper.

"Aye, that it was," Aira answered the same way. "I've only ever heard bits and pieces of it before, but hearing the entire truth…I cannot even imagine what that must have been like."

"Especially for Uncle Thorin."

"Oh, by Mahal, I don't know how he did it! It's unbelievable to me to think how he handled everything with Thror's murder and facing the Defiler head on…!"

"He was strong-willed and always has been. He did what needed to be done. More importantly, he showed that pale Orc who was truly greater and who would come out of that battle alive and triumphant!"

"The line of Durin would not be so easily broken," said Aira, quoting Balin's words.

Kili grinned proudly. "And it never will be."

The two young Dwarves then just stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what more to say to that. "I think we should get some sleep now," Aira suggested.

Kili nodded in agreement.

"May I?" Aira asked, motioning with her eyes to his shoulder.

He recognized what she was asking and gave her a smile and another nod. Kili then turned himself so he was lying flat on his back and gladly opened up his arm to her. Aira moved right up next to him and nestled her head comfortably on his shoulder, taking in the soothing warmth of his body. His arm wrapped gently around her back and shoulders and he pulled her close.

At first, Aira was screaming at herself inside her head, _"What in the name of Durin made me do this?!"_ But when she felt Kili's arm around her, holding her closer to him, she suddenly didn't regret anything. He was affectionate and inviting, something she had never really noticed before. She welcomed his gestures and let herself relax in his hold.

Kili was a bit startled at Aira's request, but seeing an almost earnest look in her eyes, he found he couldn't resist. As she had placed herself against his side and her head on his shoulder, he had felt his heart jump to his throat. _"This can't really be happening!"_ he thought in disbelief. Naturally, he let his arm position itself around her and grasp her tightly and, in that moment, it all just felt…right. And it was a feeling he figured he could get used to.

"Goodnight, Kili," Aira whispered to him.

Kili was silent for a moment and then whispered back, "Sleep well, Airaním."

As she felt Kili's chest lower and rise from his slow, calm breathing, Aira closed her eyes to let slumber come to her. Shortly, however, her mind thought back to something Kili had said minutes ago: _"He showed that pale Orc who was truly greater and who would come out of that battle alive and triumphant!"_ Then she remembered the looks Balin and Gandalf had exchanged earlier after Thorin had said Azog had died of his wounds long ago. She hated to admit that she knew what they were thinking.

Almost without realizing it, she lifted a hand slowly and subtly up to her stomach and felt over an indent in her skin through her shirt; something that had been acquired during her thirty-year absence.

To make matters worse: she was thinking the same thing.

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**Oooh...suspicious yet...? ;P**

**As always, reviews are welcome! :) **

**Will update as soon as I can!**


	11. In the Middle of the Night

**So this chapter is just more of a filler before I continue on with the movie storyline. Sorry it's kinda short :P**

**Thanks so much to Dean Winchester's Play Thing as well as my most active reviewers luna, mrsmiawallace88, ZabuzasGirl and MusicalDreamerx for your reviews and input! You all are just so awesome! :)**

**Hope you all like this!**

_._

_There she was, huddled in a lowly corner, filled with fright as to what was going to happen to her. She was on the top of a watchtower in the dead of night. There were hard, leather cords bound so tightly around her wrists that they dug into her flesh and drew blood. Aira's body ached from being pushed, shoved and dragged around for days; her head throbbed and her legs and arms stung from all the scrapes and bruises she'd gotten. In front of her were two small, ugly armored Orcs guarding her and awaiting words from their master, speaking in a tongue which she did not recognize._

_A deep, guttural voice soon spoke, more horrible than the Orc guards and Aira cringed at the sound that struck her to the core. It was as if the essence of pure evil could suddenly be heard in the air. Utter dread filled her as she was lifted up roughly by the guards and then thrown back down on the stone floor before the most terrifying monster she had ever seen in her life. He was giant; larger than the majority of his race with severely scarred skin white as death and eyes just as pale that stared straight into Aira's soul with untamable malevolence. He had no left hand and, in its place, was a long, menacing-looking claw that had been harshly driven through his forearm. _

_Aira knew who this vile creature was; one who, she had been told, had been slain in battle years ago and was believed to be dead. She knew of the terrible things this giant had done and, worse, what he was capable of doing. What could only be considered as absolute fear consumed her, heart, body and soul, as her body shook and she gasped out the name of the monster that towered above her._

_"Azog!"_

_The Gundabad Orc stared down at the terrified Dwarf girl and spoke something to her in his foul language. Aira knew naught of what he said and could only continue to shake uncontrollably. There was nothing she could do, not with being bound at the wrists, watched by several pairs of Orc eyes and being spoken to in a tongue she did not understand and being unable to respond, so she prepared herself for the worst._

_Before she even saw it coming, Azog roared angrily and his huge right hand threw itself across her face, knocking her to the ground where she hit her head hard on the stone. She let out a loud cry as her head and face grew numb. Her mouth and lips felt wet and there was the taste of blood on her tongue. _

_Then there was sharp, stinging pain on the top of her head and she shouted again as the pale Orc yanked her up by her curls, suspending her in the air. Once again, he said something loudly in the Orc language, only this time he sounded more sinister. His eyes looked hungry, longing to see her writhe and hear her scream. Azog ran the jagged tip of his claw just barely over Aira's check, making her squirm to move her face away. _

_Then, with great force, the Defiler shoved his claw straight into her abdomen._

_Aira's awful, piercing shriek echoed off the ruined walls of the watchtower and through the empty valley below it. Her ability to breathe lessened and the pain in her stomach intensified as the pale Orc's claw remained inside her for a moment and he cackled maliciously in her face. As his evil laughter died down, he ripped his metal hand out, bringing forth another cry of pain from the Dwarf girl, and dropped her carelessly back to the ground._

_Aira could feel the blood trickling down her front as she lay there in agony from what Azog had just done to her, hot tears pouring from her eyes. Her vision became blurry and her head was spinning. She heard the pale monster cry out something to the other Orcs before she lost consciousness, realizing there was, in fact, one word he had spoken that she knew and understood:_

_"Snaga"_

_Slave._

* * *

Her eyes flew open as she jerked herself awake, still on her side, lightly gasping for air and her hand placed over her stomach. She could still feel the claw piercing her flesh and digging inside her. That was no nightmare…but a dark, dreadful memory of her past.

She _did _have an encounter with the pale Orc, she hated to admit. It was the most horrible thing that had happened to her and it was something she dreaded thinking about or even remembering. The story of Azanulbizar had brought back the memories of that encounter that she had spent years trying to repress.

Aira felt awful knowing that Azog was still alive, especially when Thorin did not and believed otherwise. More than anything, she wished she could tell him the truth…but she couldn't. Not only would it deny what Thorin firmly believed, but it would cause him and the others to become suspicious of her and her awareness of such a thing. Then she would have to tell them everything…and she was not ready for that.

And Fili and Kili? What would _they_ do if they knew the truth?

"Are you all right, Aira?"

Her eyes looked up and met Kili's that were staring at her with concern. Even though it was still dark in the middle of the night and the fire had died down, she could still see his eyes as clear as day. She had almost forgotten that she was still lying in his arms. She hadn't even felt him stir at her waking up. Quickly, she answered, "I'm all right. It was just a dream."

Kili's expression didn't change. "It did not seem like just a dream, Aira. I could feel you shaking and just now you suddenly jolted awake. It seemed like it was a bad one." He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Are you having nightmares again?"

Aira sighed and sat up, feeling Kili's hand gently rubbing her back. She looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness and noticing that the rest of the company was still asleep. "I guess I _am_ having nightmares again," she said, "but they're not like the ones I used to have as a child. These ones are different." That was the only thing she could think to say to him.

Kili, with his hand still on her backside, sat up next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered.

She shook her head. "Thank you, Kili, but no," she said as nicely as she could. "I can't right now. These nightmares a bit more…personal. But maybe someday I will tell you."

He brought his arm up around her shoulders, gave her a caring glance and said, "I will not pry." Aira was glad that he understood and laid her head down on his shoulder. Kili then rested his head softly on top of hers. "You do know I'm always here for you…and you can tell me anything."

Without looking at him, Aira nodded her head and replied, "I know. And I will…when I am ready. But can you promise me one thing?"

"What would that be?"

"Please don't tell Thorin that I am having unnerving dreams again. I don't want to trouble him. I have caused him enough worry already and I don't want to him to worry anymore about me than he has to."

Kili gave Aira a gentle squeeze with the arm he had around her. "I won't say a word. I promise," he said. The two of them remained silent in the position they were in for a few moments before Kili said, "Thorin hasn't been entirely honest with you, you know."

Aira lifted her head up and looked at Kili, confused. "About what?" she asked.

"About how he really views you."

"What are you talking about?"

"For a long time, he's always said that he views you as like a niece because of all the time you spend with me and Fili, his nephews."

"Right…?" said Aira, giving a hint for him to get to the point.

He leaned a little closer to her and said softly, "Even though he has never actually said anything, I know that that's not true and so does Fili. Thorin does not think of you as like his niece."

He paused, which made Aira anxious. But then he grinned and said, "He thinks of you as like his daughter! I can see it in the way he looks at you. He loves you very much, more than he may let on sometimes. He may not admit it, but I'm certain that that's true. Has he ever actually said that to you?"

Aira was unsure of what to say or how to react. Of course, she had always had the same suspicions as Fili and Kili did about Thorin, but for some reason it still surprised her. She gave some thought to his question and really could not recall Thorin ever actually saying "I love you" to her. "He's never said those words exactly," she answered Kili, "but, then again, he's never needed to. I've always known that he loves me, even if he has never told me directly."

"I think Uncle Thorin's pride is keeping him from actually expressing his real fatherly feelings for you, which I also think is wrong. Even if you know already, you still deserve to hear it from him. You _are_ his daughter! Thorin may not have dealt with the technicalities, but he basically adopted you as his own some time after he brought you to live with him; to live with _us_."

Aira turned her head back and looked at Thorin sleeping on the rock behind them. A warm feeling rose in her heart thinking about all Kili had just said and imagining just what it would be like for Thorin to actually admit everything. She did not expect him to, though, nor did she think it was necessary.

She let out a small laugh. "Thorin sees me as his daughter, Fili sees me as his sister…," she started to say. Then she looked back to Kili curiously. "…where does that leave you? How do _you_ see me?" she then asked him.

Kili stiffened up, taken aback and trying to find the right thing to say without giving away anything. But that nervous feeling only lasted a few seconds because soon after he knew the perfect answer. He gave Aira an endearing grin and placed a warm kiss in her hair before looking steadfastly into her eyes and answering, "I will always see you as my best and closest friend."

Smiling up at him, Aira replied, "I can ask no more than that."

With that being said, they both decided to lie back down and get back to their rest. Aira resumed her position with her head on Kili's shoulder and his arm still around her. Kili could tell that she was hesitant to go back to sleep and started stroking her hair and shoulders and instinctively began to hum softly.

Aira's head felt a slight buzz from the rumble of Kili's chest when he began humming something as he ran his hands through her hair. She listened carefully and smiled as she recognized the familiar tune: it was the lullaby she had sang to the Dwarves only hours before, just a little lower in key. Somehow he had remembered it and that thought made her smile even more as the soothing sound of his humming lulled her back to sleep; a peaceful sleep that wouldn't be troubled by horrific nightmares for the remainder of the night.

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**First off, a big thanks to ZabuzasGirl for the Orc-ish translation used at the beginning!**

**Secondly, you know the routine! Review or PM with any thoughts or comments!**

**Next up: TROLLS!**


	12. The Dwarf Witch

**Yikes, this chapter took longer than I expected! This is the longest one yet! :D**

**Thank you to all of my loyal reviewers as well as any new ones, you guys are all super! And also a GIANT thank you to ZabuzasGirl, who has been a tremendous help to me the last few days, especially with this chapter, in helping me with a few ideas! You're the best!**

**There is another song in this chapter and it's another Enya one. This one is called "Evening Falls". Here's a link to a youtube video if you wanna listen to it when you get to it ( watch?v=NAFzU0JhsBI)**

**I know a lot of you have been anxiously waiting for an update, so here it is and I promise you, you'll find it worth the wait! :) Enjoy, my dears! **

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"What in Durin's name did you do to us, Airaním?"

Thorin had gruffly ordered everyone in the company to wake up just moments before and was now suddenly asking Aira this question as she was packing up her bedroll.

Aira looked up at him, taken aback and seriously confused. "What did _I _do…?" she questioned.

"That song you sang last night," he said as he approached her. He looked a little irritated, which made Aira nervous. "You lulled us all to sleep with it and, because of that, we have overslept and are starting off later than I intended. Did you perhaps put us under some sort of spell, charming that lullaby of yours with your lovely, enchanting voice to help us rest well?" His lips suddenly formed into a good-natured smirk and Aira then recognized that he was teasing her.

"Oh, dear, Thorin Oakenshield, you've caught me!" she replied playfully, deciding to go along with it. "My voice is magic and can bend any male creature to my will!" Then she stopped, realizing how that wrong that sounded, and the others started lightly laughing at her. Her face flushed and she couldn't help but laugh a little at herself.

Fili jumped up and cried out with a mock-fearful expression, "We'd better watch ourselves, lads! Airaním, the Dwarf Witch, could have us all obey her every whim at any moment!"

"Dwarf Witch?!" Aira exclaimed, surprised at the sudden new nickname the young, blonde Dwarf Prince had given her.

Kili then joined his brother. "Aye, she could use her alluring voice to have us all jump right off this cliff without a second thought!"

"Or have us carry her all the way to Erebor," added Gloin.

"Or she could tell us to fight each other!" said Ori.

"Her wish is our command," said Balin with an overly-dramatic bow and a wink.

Aira's mouth was gaping wide open in complete bewilderment. "_What in the name of Mahal just happened?!"_ she thought. What was going on with them? She let out a stunned breath and cried out, "You all are unbelievable!"

The rest of the company began to laugh again at their joking.

"You know we jest!" said Balin.

"Well, if you keep that kind of jesting up, I just might consider those suggestions from you sorry lot!" Aira said as a fake threat with a small chuckle.

Thorin approached her from behind and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Just do not take up Kili's suggestion of launching everyone off this cliff," he said with a grin. "I would prefer to keep _all_ of the other fourteen members of my company, if you don't mind."

Aira rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, all right. If you say so, Thorin," she joked.

* * *

During that morning, it seemed as though nothing could dampen the company's spirits. Unfortunately, they were wrong. After only riding for a couple of hours, a big and lengthy rainstorm came and beat down upon them. That certainly dampened their spirits and then some. All those who had hoods had them pulled over their heads, but that did not help keep all of the rain off their bodies, now drenched and seriously cold.

Dori wanted Gandalf to do something about it, but it was not something in Gandalf's power to change. He then proceeded to tell the company about the other wizards of the world besides himself: Saruman the White, the head of their order, two Blue wizards whose names escaped Gandalf's mind and Radagast the Brown, a wizard who lived in the woods and preferred the company of animals over humans. Aira found the fact that there were other wizards very fascinating.

As they rode on, the rain eventually cleared away, eliciting sighs of pure relief from the entire company. Usually they didn't mind rain, but that whole storm had been just ridiculous. They continued on through the day, making a couple short stops along the way to relax. Soon, they noticed that evening was fast approaching. They came upon a rocky clearing and Thorin announced that they would camp there for the night.

They began to dismount and set things up for their camp. Thorin said loudly, "Fili, Kili and Aira: look after the ponies. Make you sure you stay with them."

All three of them gave a compliant nod.

"Oin, Gloin: get a fire going."

The brothers acknowledged him.

As Aira dismounted Vega, she noticed the ruins of a farmhouse a couple yards away. Curious, she wandered over to it and stepped inside. So much of the house was destroyed. Only pieces of the ceiling remained, walls were missing and what remained of the walls were in shambles. Aira felt a small tug on her heart as she imagined what could've happened to bring this homely dwelling to destruction.

"A farmer and his family used to live here," said Gandalf behind her. She said nothing but noticed that he seemed to look a little nervous as his eyes scanned the walls and, if Gandalf appeared nervous, that was never a good sign. He said to Thorin coming up behind him, "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."

Thorin grew annoyed with the wizard right away. Obviously, to Aira, this was something they had already previously discussed and he proved her right by saying, "I have told you already: I will _not_ go near that place."

Aira simply stood in place and watched and listened as their conversation continued.

"Why not?" asked Gandalf. "The Elves could help us! We could get food, rest, advice."

"I do not need their advice."

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us."

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor…what help came from the Elves?" Thorin asked, his voice hard and distasteful. "Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls…the Elves looked on and did _nothing_!" He took a couple steps towards Gandalf. "You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather, who betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them," Gandalf said to him, trying his best to stay calm and convince him. "I did not give you that map and key for you to hold onto the past!"

"I did not know they were yours to keep!" Thorin snapped back right away, giving the wizard a harsh glare.

Aira's eyes widened and eyebrows rose up at Thorin's angry comeback. He really was so set against following Gandalf's counsel and it irked her. If he was going to argue everything the wizard suggested, then why did he ask him to join their quest in the first place?

Clearly, that same thought must have been going through Gandalf's mind because he quickly turned on his heel and stormed away from the Dwarf King.

"Everything all right? Gandalf, where are you going?" Aira could hear Bilbo ask as he walked past him.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," Gandalf replied as he continued past the rest of the Dwarves.

"And who's that?"

"_Myself_, Mister Baggins! I've had enough of Dwarves for one day."

Aira turned around sharply to face Thorin and she scowled at him. "He is not wrong, Thorin," she said.

He gave her an irritated stare. "Don't _you_ start with me, Aira," he said almost threateningly and pointing at her.

"Elrond and his people haven't done anything to you. _Thranduil _was the one who betrayed you, your father and your grandfather! Do not let your hatred for him and his people be let loose upon other Elves who had nothing to do with what happened to Erebor. Gandalf is right; we need Lord Elrond to help us with the map. None of us can read it and we need it to find the hidden door to the Lonely Mountain. If we don't seek his help, then we'll have no way into the mountain and this entire quest will be for nothing!"

Without waiting for a response, Aira walked away and said, "I'm going to watch the ponies with your nephews."

Thorin watched her stride away and sighed and shook his head. That girl was bound to be the death of him, some days. Not wanting to think about Gandalf or Elves, he quickly cried, "Come on, Bombur, we're hungry!"

* * *

Aira, Fili and Kili took to watching the ponies once everything was set up for camp. As they left, Bombur and Bofur promised them that once supper was ready they would have someone bring some to them, for which they thanked the two brothers gladly.

The dark of night was beginning to come over the land and the three of them sat themselves down on the ground just yards away from the small corral they made for the ponies. Fili took out one of his knives and started sharpening it. Again. Kili had pulled out his pipe and was letting out little puffs of smoke every couple minutes, staring off and lost in his thoughts. Aira asked to borrow one of Fili's other hunting knives and she began stabbing it into the log she was leaning against, letting out her frustration at Thorin in doing so.

After letting her go at it for a little while, Fili finally said, "Careful with that, you'll blunt it."

Aira gave him a warning glance. "You better not start singing again," she said to him, bringing out light snickers from the Princes as they remembered the little show that had put on back at Bilbo's house. The two of them noticed, judging by how hard Aira was shoving the knife into the wood, she was irritated about something and they both had an idea of what it was.

"After Gandalf left, you seemed a bit put off with Thorin," Fili pointed out. "What was that all about?"

She sighed. "Gandalf suggested we head for the Hidden Valley."

"Isn't that Elf territory?"

"Yes," Aira answered. "But I agree with Gandalf. Elrond, the leader of the Elves there, is one of the only people who can help us read the map and we need his help, despite the fact he's an Elf. Thorin refuses to listen to Gandalf's advice and his stubbornness is jeopardizing the purpose of this journey."

"And you're surprised?" asked Kili. "Uncle is one of the most stubborn Dwarves in this company, if not _the_ most stubborn."

"Well, what do you two think?"

Fili and Kili turned and stared at each other as if they were working out their answer together in their minds. It wouldn't have surprised Aira at all if that's what they were doing. The two of them practically shared a brain anyway. Then they both simultaneously turned and looked back at her.

"Well, Thorin has always taught us to hate Elves; that they cannot be trusted," Fili said first.

"But you and Gandalf do make a good point," added Kili. "If we cannot read the map, then we'll never find the hidden entrance."

"And if we can't find the entrance…."

"Then we'll never get into the mountain," Aira finished for them. "And then what would be the point of this whole quest?"

Aira handed Fili back his knife and they all looked down at the ground in silence. It was a rather saddening thing to think about, going on the journey for nothing because of Thorin's blinding hatred of Elves, but what more could they do? Aira had already spoken her mind to him and it proved useless. Fili and Kili were not as open as her when it came to speaking their minds and they rarely ever spoke against their uncle. It seemed they were just going to have to endure it all the best they could.

Deciding to break the silence, Aira turned to Kili and asked, "So, Kili, are you still practicing archery?"

He gave single, exaggerated nod. "Absolutely!" he said, taking out his invisible bow and shooting an invisible arrow at the nearest tree and making the sound effects with his mouth.

Fili gave him a pat on the shoulder. "He claims that's the reason he doesn't have beard," he said.

"It is!" Kili cried defensively. "If I had a beard, my arrows would get caught in it!"

Fili gave him a fake sympathetic nod. "You keep telling yourself that, brother," he told him.

Aira smirked at the blonde Dwarf. "Well, I wouldn't say those lip braids of yours quite count as a beard either, Fili," she teased. "If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut."

"Thanks, Aira," Kili said at her coming to his defense.

Fili shot her a questioning look. "You're one to talk, Miss Beardless!" he spat, his eyes wide and daring her to say something back.

She held up a finger at him warningly. "Now, I have no control over that!" she cried. "My mother was beardless; I just inherited that from her!"

"There's nothing wrong with not having a beard," said Kili to his brother.

He shrugged. "Suit yourselves, then."

Aira, seeing that Fili was still pretending to act pretentious about having more of a beard than she and Kili, reached over and with both hands gave a sharp tug on Fili's lip braids.

"Yow!" Fili cried out painfully, rubbing the corners of his lips as Aira and Kili laughed at him. To get back at her, he swapped Aira in the back of the head just as hard, making her yell.

"Oi, you never hit a woman, brother!" Kili exclaimed as he playfully tackled his brother to the ground.

The two Princes started wrestling around on the dirt and grass, grunting and growling mischievously as they pushed and pulled on each other. Aira, thoroughly pleased, laughed at their playfulness. She was also giggling at the fact that Kili was "fighting" for her honor and that quite amused her.

Fili was able to shove Kili off of him with a triumphant, "Ha-ha!" As Kili fell backward, his back rammed into Aira's legs, catching her off guard and tripping her and she fell flat on her stomach with a loud "Oof!"

"Aira!" Kili cried as he shot up to his feet. He paused for a second for a response, but there was none. He noticed that she was not moving and he feared that she was hurt. He knelt down next to her. "Aira, are you all right?"

Suddenly, her hand shot up, grasped the collar of his shirt and yanked him hard into the dirt. Kili cried out in surprise as he was suddenly meeting the ground with his back and then roughly rolled over onto his stomach and his arm twisted behind him. "_When did she learn to move that fast?"_ he wondered.

Aira straddled herself over Kili's back with one hand holding his twisted arm in place and the other resting on his shoulder. She then declared with a victorious chuckle, "That'll teach you not to trip me again!"

Just then they heard loud, distant neighing that seemed to snap them back to reality.

"The ponies!" said Fili.

Aira released Kili's arm, helped him back up and they ran off with Fili over to where the ponies were being kept. They stopped and stared at the corral once they got there. They all seemed to be just fine, what had caused their neighing only moments before?

Then Aira noticed something was off; something was wrong. Fili and Kili had the same thought too as she noticed their heads bobbing up and down. They were counting.

She looked along the line of ponies, counting in her head. "_Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…uh-oh!"_

The sound of footsteps then could be heard behind them, but the three of them were too shocked at their discovery to even bother turning around. From behind them came Bilbo carrying three bowls in his arms. He tried offering the bowls of stew to Aira and the brothers, but they were completely oblivious to it.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies," Kili responded, still not looking at Bilbo.

Fili, however, did look at him and continued, "Only we've encountered a…slight problem."

"We had seventeen…," said Aira.

"Now there's fifteen," Fili finished.

The four of them began moving through the corral of ponies, counting them and naming them off to try and figure out which ones had suddenly been snatched. When they all came back together, it was Kili who had figured it out.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing," he stated.

They then noticed that one of the trees had been literally pulled out of the ground somehow. Aira was speechless at this. How was that possible?

Bilbo too was a bit unnerved about it. "Well that's not good," he said, gesturing to the fallen tree. "That is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

Fili answered quickly, sounding hesitant, "Uh…no. let's not worry him." He paused before saying to Bilbo, "As our official burglar we thought you might want to look into it."

That wasn't quite what the Hobbit was expecting, but he figured he'd give it a go. "Well…it looks as though something big uprooted these trees," he simply stated.

"That was our thinking," said Kili.

Bilbo continued, "Something very big…and possibly quite dangerous."

"Well, now we have a grasp of the obvious," said Aira. Of course something big uprooted the trees and if it could do that, it _had _to be dangerous! Her eyes wandered around, looking through the dark trees until she spotted something in the distance. "Wait…there's a light," she said quietly. "Over here! Stay down!" She, Bilbo, Fili and Kili all moved to crouch behind a nearby log to try and see what the light was. The sounds of deep, nasally laughter were heard and they seemed to come from the same place as the light.

"What is it?" Bilbo asked Fili.

The three young Dwarves knew exactly what it was, but Kili was the one to answer. "Trolls." With that, he, Fili and Aira all shot out from behind the log and darted out into the trees in the direction of the light, hoping to get a closer look.

Bilbo was caught off guard by their sudden movement and went to catch up with them. However, his Hobbit instincts kicked in and he turned back and grabbed the bowls of stew he had brought for them and then started to run after them.

None of them were sure how far they had gone when they suddenly heard loud, booming noises behind them. Both Fili and Kili crouched behind a tree and Bilbo and Aira hid behind another one next to them as a giant troll thundered past them, carrying three ponies; one under one arm and two underneath the other. All three of the creatures were neighing in fear.

"He's got Myrtle, Vega and Minty!" Bilbo exclaimed in a quiet voice. "I think they're going to eat them!"

Aira scowled. "If those trolls eat my pony, I'll make them wish they were turned to stone!" she said angrily.

"We have to do something," said Bilbo, setting the three bowls he was carrying down.

The Dwarf brothers looked at the Hobbit wide-eyed like he had just said something brilliant. "Yes, _you_ should," said Kili as he got up and moved Bilbo so the two of them switched places to where Bilbo stood in between the trees. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you." Both Aira and Bilbo started to protest, but Kili cut them off by saying to the Hobbit, "It's perfectly safe, we'll be right behind you."

Fili gave him a light nudge forward and said to reassure him, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl!"

While Bilbo tried to make sense of Fili's odd advice, Aira felt Kili grab her by the wrist and she was suddenly whisked away as they and Fili took off in the opposite direction, leaving poor Bilbo alone and confused.

They hadn't gotten far when Aira jerked away from Kili and stopped. "Wait!" she said to them. "We can't just leave Bilbo on his own, he'll get captured!"

"He'll be all right, we told him what to do if he gets into trouble," said Fili.

Aira raised her eyebrows at him. "Fili, do you even realize that _no one_ in this company knows how to hoot like a barn owl or a brown owl?" she brought up. "That was something we three came up with when we were _children_!"

"Like I said, we'll be right behind him," said Kili. "We're just going back to retrieve our weapons and to get Thorin and the others for support." He motioned to Aira to follow again and he and his brother resumed running.

Aira, however, remained in place. "That will take too long," she said, irritated, out loud. She just couldn't leave Bilbo alone against however many trolls there could be back there. Surely, he would get himself caught or killed and she wasn't going to let that happen. Unlike Fili and Kili, she had kept one of her weapons on her person in case anything like this happened. She unsheathed her sword, turned around and ran the other direction to follow Bilbo.

She made her way back towards the light and eventually could see a fire not too far ahead of her. The troll's voices were growing louder and she knew she was close. As she began to creep forward, she could hear a loud cry. It sounded like it came from one of the trolls. Aira jumped at the sound and moved a little faster to the light. Then, while crouching behind a bush, she saw three huge, ugly trolls gathered together by a campfire and looking down at Bilbo, who was covered in some sort of sticky substance. Aira really did not want to try and determine what that was.

One of the trolls pointed a knife at Bilbo and asked gruffly, "What are you, then? An oversized squirrel?"

"I'm a burglar—uh, Hobbit!" he answered, realizing he shouldn't have started to say "burglar" and changing his response.

The trolls, being as stupid as they were, thought that whole thing was his answer. "A burglar-hobbit?" one of them, with a high-pitched and rather funny-sounding voice, questioned, thinking of whether or not he had heard of such a thing.

"Can we cook him?" asked the one with the knife.

The other one made a swift move towards Bilbo and responded in a sinister tone, "We can try!"

Bilbo dodged his attempt to grab him and tried to run off, but he was cut off by the third troll. "He wouldn't make more than a mouthful, not when he's skinned and boned," he stated, shoving the Hobbit back.

The troll took a step back and was close to where Aira was hiding and she yelled out in surprise, avoiding his oversized foot. "_Oh, no…!"_ she thought to herself, realizing her mistake. The troll, whom Aira noticed had one ghostly white eye, saw her and quickly scooped her up off the ground before she had a chance to try to crawl away, her sword falling from her hands as she was lifted up.

"Look what I've found!" he roared loudly as one of the other trolls grabbed Bilbo and were now suspending him in mid-air, too. "This one's female, I think, and it don't look like she's a burglar-hobbit like the other one!"

Aira, now hanging upside down, looked over at Bilbo and sheepishly waved at him. "This…didn't quite work out the way I had planned…," she said in a timid voice.

The one that held Bilbo pointed his knife once again at them. "Are there any more of you little fella's hiding where you shouldn't?" he demanded.

"Nope!" Aira responded immediately and Bilbo rapidly nodded his head, both hoping they'd believe them.

Unfortunately, they didn't. "They're lying," the troll with the high voice said with a creepy tone.

"No, we're not!" Bilbo stated.

"Hold their toes over the fire! Make 'em squeal!"

There was a loud grunt and then suddenly that same troll gave a sharp cry. Aira twisted her head and, even though she was upside down, could see Kili swinging his sword at the troll's legs.

"_Oh, Kili! Thank heavens!" _she cried in her head, feeling relieved that he had come just in time.

"Drop them!" Kili commanded the trolls.

"You what?" one of them shouted.

Kili, looking fiercely determined, twirled his sword and repeated, "I said, _drop them_!" Aira had to admit, he looked rather dashing at that moment.

The troll that held Bilbo did exactly that and let him fall to the ground. The one that had a hold of Aira, however, had a different plan in mind. She could feel his hand start to move backward and she knew what he was going to do.

"_Oh, dear!"_ This was not going to end well. Aira screamed as the troll flung her away towards Kili and her body roughly collided with his, sending them both toppling over to the ground. Just as this happened, she could hear movement through the trees along with loud shouts and battle cries. Thorin and the rest of the Dwarves appeared from behind the trees and began to attack the trolls.

She sat up and looked down at Kili, who seemed a little dazed from the fall. "I'm sorry, Kili," she said to him, feeling a little guilty.

"You all right?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am."

"Then don't apologize."

The two of them scrambled back to their feet and moved to join the fray with the Dwarves and the trolls. Clearly, the Dwarves were winning. Each of them were slashing and hacking away at the giant beasts' legs and feet, making them cry out in pain, and sometimes they'd get a good hit at an arm or in the face if they stooped down to their level.

Aira ran back to where she had dropped her sword and froze in place. There it was lying on the ground completely snapped in half. Her thought was that the stupid troll who had grabbed her had stepped on it after she had dropped it and broke it. "_Curses!"_ she thought.

She had to help the Dwarves, but she had no weapon. She needed a weapon! Aira turned around and saw Fili fighting near her. "Fili! Sword!" she called out to him.

Thankfully, he didn't question her nor hesitate. Seeing her hands held out to him, he carefully tossed one of his short-swords to her and she caught it with ease. After giving him a grateful look, she joined him at hacking away at the troll in front of them.

She then noticed some excellent teamwork coming from others of the company; namely Dwalin and Thorin. Dwalin had leapt over the cauldron the trolls had over the fire and rolled to which Thorin had leapt off of his back effortlessly to swing his sword at a troll's hand that held young Ori and freed him.

However, Ori wasn't quite careful and found himself getting snatched by another troll again. Just as he was about to get lifted off the ground, both Aira and Fili slashed at the troll's hand. It gave a shout and tossed Ori a few feet away. Aira ran over to him to make sure he was all right.

When she helped him back up, she noticed everyone was looking at something. Her eyes followed theirs and she gasped. Two of the trolls were holding Bilbo by his arms and legs, implying they were going to harm him.

"Bilbo!" she cried out. She tried to move forward to help him, but was stopped by both Kili and Thorin.

"Lay down your arms or we'll rip his off!" the troll who wasn't grabbing Bilbo threatened them.

The Hobbit looked down at the Dwarves, frightened and his expression almost pleading with them to do as they said.

There was a low, grumbling sigh and they all looked to see Thorin shoving his sword down into the ground and admitting defeat. The rest of them grudgingly followed and tossed their weapons to the ground as well.

Within minutes, Bilbo and all of the Dwarves were stripped of their weapons and their clothes, leaving them in their underclothes, tied up and stuffed into giant sacks. Luckily for Aira, she had an undershirt and leggings that she wore over her smallclothes, so it wasn't nearly as awkward. Once they were all in sacks, half of them were thrown into a pile almost on top of one another and the rest were tied to a spit above the fire. Aira found herself next to Kili and lying on top of Thorin's lower legs. Fili, unfortunately, was on his belly and his head was near Aira's feet. All of them were struggling to untie their hands inside the sacks and wriggle free, but none of them were doing very well.

Aira could hear the trolls debating about how to cook them and something about "a sprinkle of sage", but she wasn't paying attention. She was still trying to break her bonds as hard as she could. She was _not_ going to get eaten by trolls, not if she could help it! After giving it her best effort, she gave up. It was no use; the trolls had bound them way too tight.

As she stopped, she heard one of the trolls say, "I don't fancy being turned to stone." That meant that dawn was soon approaching.

"Wait!" Bilbo suddenly cried out behind her. As he squirmed trying to sit himself up, he said to the trolls, "You are making a terrible mistake."

From the group of Dwarves being twisted on the spit, Dori called to the Hobbit, "You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!"

Bofur, who was tied just next to him, exclaimed in response, "Half-wits? What does that make _us_?!"

"_Dim-wits, that's what!"_ Aira thought.

Bilbo had managed to get himself upright on his feet and was hobbling towards the trolls. "I meant with the seasoning," he said to them.

The one with the white eye bent down and asked suspiciously, "What about the seasoning?"

"Well, have you smelt them?"

"What?!" Aira shouted, shocked at that sudden comment and wondering where in the world he was going with it.

Bilbo went on, almost resentfully, "You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate _this_ lot up!"

"Traitor!" shouted Thorin's voice above the rest of the Dwarves' murmuring.

"What do you know about cooking Dwarf?" the troll turning the spit asked, sounding a bit doubtful.

"Shut up! Let the flurgar-burber-hobbit talk," said the one kneeling in front of Bilbo, clearly forgetting what he thought he was called.

The Hobbit gave him a nod and continued, stammering, "Uh, the secret to—to cooking Dwarf is…is…."

"Come on, tell us the secret!"

"Yes, I'm telling you, the secret is…."

He paused. The Dwarves on the ground all looked at Bilbo and leaned their heads forward, waiting for his answer.

"To…skin them first!" Bilbo suddenly exclaimed.

The Dwarves were not happy about that at all. Aira simply let out an offended gasp while the rest of them were shouting things at Bilbo. She could feel Thorin's legs wriggling and kicking underneath her back and she could tell he was trying even harder to get out of his sack so he could beat the living daylights out of the sneaky Halfling.

The troll closest to them asked for one to bring him filleting knife while the Dwarves continued their shouting. Dwalin, who was also on the spit, was pointing and shaking a fist at Bilbo, saying to him as a threat, "I won't forget that! I won't forget!"

"What a load of rubbish!" said the spit-turning troll. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff 'em, I say, boots and all!"

A movement in the distance caught Aira's eye. It was someone clad in grey moving behind the boulders and bushes. "_Gandalf!"_ Somehow, in that second, Aira then realized what Bilbo was doing: he had seen Gandalf too and was trying to buy them time. "_Oh, you clever Hobbit!"_ she said in her mind.

The third troll then walked over to the pile of Dwarves on the ground, eying them hungrily. "He's right, nothing wrong with a bit of raw Dwarf!" He grabbed hold of Bombur and dangled him in the air just above his mouth. "Nice and crunchy!"

Just when everyone thought Bombur was about to become troll food, Bilbo cried, "No, no, not that one, he's infected!"

"You what?" asked a troll.

On the spot, Bilbo improvised, "He—he's got worms in his…tubes!" That was the best answer he could come up with.

However, it worked, because the troll yelled in disgust and tossed Bombur back into the pile. He landed hard on top of Kili and Aira, both of them gasping painfully as the air was knocked right out of them. Why did Bombur have to be so fat and heavy was what ran through their heads.

Seeing as how the trolls seemed to believe that lie, Bilbo kept going with it. "In fact, they all have. They're infested with parasites, it's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't," he said so seriously.

Aira couldn't help but smirk at how brilliant he was.

But, to her dismay, everyone else still hadn't quite caught on. "Parasites? Did he say parasites?" asked Oin in disbelief.

"We don't have parasites!" Kili yelled at Bilbo, thinking he was absolutely mad by this point. "_You_ have parasites!"

Aira let out an exasperated sigh and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. "_Save me from the stubbornness of male Dwarves!"_ she prayed to Mahal. She twisted around and looked to Thorin behind her, who looked back at her curiously. She gave him a look that said "_Come on, catch on and do something!"_

Thorin noticed her look and soon caught on to Bilbo's ruse. He gave a kick into Kili's back, shutting him up and he gave the Dwarves the same look Aira had given him. And now everyone was on the same page.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin soon said.

Kili decided to try and sound better than the older Dwarf. "Mine are the biggest parasites! I've got _huge_ parasites!" he cried out as overdramatically as possible. Clearly he was enjoying that was Aira's thought. Now all of the Dwarves were joining in and Aira felt relieved that perhaps now they could buy enough time for either the sun to come up or for Gandalf to arrive.

"What would you have us do, then? Let 'em all go?" one of the trolls demanded.

Bilbo went to answer, trying to come up with another thing to say, but the troll started poking him. "You think I don't know what you're up to?"

"_Uh-oh, this isn't good…!"_ Aira thought.

"This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" Bilbo exclaimed, offended.

"_We still need a bit more time…!"_

Then, out of nowhere, Aira thought of an idea; a possibly mad idea.

"You will do no more to these Dwarves or to the burglar-hobbit!" she shouted boldly, shifting all of her weight forward to sit up and stand up. All eyes belonging to trolls, Dwarves and a Hobbit all turned to face her now. "You have no choice but to obey what I say."

"And who are you to tell us what to do?" one of the trolls questioned her threateningly.

Aira, however, stood tall and looked him daringly in the eye. "Do you not know who I am?" she asked loudly. "I am known as the Dwarf Witch! I have a voice so alluring and powerful that I can bend any male creature to my will!"

Every single person there, save the trolls, was all hiding the pleased grins on their faces. They couldn't believe that Aira was actually using something that was considered a joke earlier to try and buy them time and found it incredibly amusing.

"I aint never heard of no Dwarf Witch! You're lying through your teeth!" said the troll on the spit.

"If you really are a witch, prove it!" said the high-voiced one.

Aira stood her ground and gulped. She prayed once again in her mind, saying, "_Oh, Mahal, please let this work!"_ Then she opened her mouth and out came pouring from her mouth a slow, almost hypnotizing tune she had remembered hearing once as a child:

_When the evening falls  
And the daylight is fading,  
From within me calls.  
Could it be I am sleeping?  
For a moment I stray,  
Then it holds me completely  
Close to home, I cannot say.  
Close to home, feeling so far away._

_As I walk the room,_  
_There before me a shadow_  
_From another world_  
_Where no other can follow._  
_Carry me to my own_  
_To where I can cross over,_  
_Close to home, I cannot say,_  
_Close to home, feeling so far away._

_Forever searching, never right,_  
_I am lost in oceans of night,_  
_Forever hoping I can find memories,_  
_Those memories I left behind._

_Even though I leave,_  
_Will I go on believing_  
_That this time is real?_  
_Am I lost in this feeling?_  
_Like a child passing through,_  
_Never knowing the reason,_  
_I am home, I know the way._  
_I am home, feeling oh, so far away._

Her song ended and only the slight crackling noise of the fire could be heard. Everyone was staring at Aira, wide-eyed and amazed. She looked fixedly at the three trolls, who were staring at her blankly with wide open mouths and they started mumbling incoherently.

"_Thank the gods, it actually worked!"_ she thought gladly.

Not a moment too soon did a loud booming voice cry out, "The dawn will take you all!" All eyes glanced up to see Gandalf standing at the top of a boulder with his staff ready at hand.

The trolls all snapped out their trance and looked up to Gandalf. "Who is that?" one of them asked.

"No idea."

"Can we eat him, too?"

The Grey Wizard raised his staff above his head and brought it down hard on the rock, splitting it clean in half and revealing the bright rays of the rising sun behind it.

Everyone watched in awe as the three trolls started writhing and squirming and their flesh hardened and cracked all over. Within seconds, they all froze and never moved again. They had turned to stone.

Seeing as their captors were no more, all the Dwarves gave shouts of gladness and relief that they were saved.

"Let's hear it, lads, for Airaním!" Bofur cried out in his normal, merry voice. The Dwarves, Bilbo and even Gandalf all gave loud, hearty cheers for the Dwarf woman who had just helped save their lives.

Aira blushed with gratitutde, turned back and looked at Thorin, who gave her the widest and brightest smile she had ever seen from him.

"Dwarf Witch, _indeed_!" he said gladly.

"They didn't see that one coming!" Fili added, lifting his head from the ground.

Kili then said with a cheeky grin, "I guess you could say they were 'scared stiff'!"

Aira smiled and laughed gaily at Kili's pun along with the rest of the Dwarves.

"Oh, get your foot out of my back!" she heard Dwalin cry out and all she could do was just laugh even more.

.

**Entertaining enough for you? ;) I certainly thought so! (haha!)**

**Leave a review or PM me and let me know what you think! :)**


	13. Losing Faith

**First of all, thank you again to all of my loyal reviewers! You all seriously make my day when I get a review!**

**ZabuzasGirl: thank you for all the help you've been giving me with the ideas for this chapter! You're the best!**

**Well, my dears, I must warn you, there are a few surprises waiting for you below ;) Hope you like it!**

**(This will be switching a couple times to different POV's, just so you know)**

.

Now that the trolls were giant statues, the problem Bilbo and the Dwarves had to worry about was getting out of their tight bonds. Luckily, Gandalf was there now and he came down and cut the Dwarves on the spit loose. They then proceeded to help the remaining company members on the ground out of their sacks.

Dwalin went up to Aira, who was still standing, and helped loosen the sack's straps around her neck. "You, lassie," he said as he untied them, "are a sharp one and, not to mention, bold!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Aira as she slipped the oversized bag off her shoulders.

The burly Dwarf simply chuckled, gave her a pat on the shoulder and then moved to help Fili up off the ground behind her.

* * *

**Fili's POV**

When Fili was lifted up and helped out of his bag, he glanced over at Aira, who wasn't facing him and was slipping herself out of her sack. As she pulled it down, it got stuck briefly to the back of her shirt, showing a small portion of her back just below the neck and Fili almost gasped. He swore he saw a couple of thin, white lines on her skin that closely resembled scars. He couldn't be sure because the moment he noticed them, Aira had adjusted her shirt and covered the back of her neck again, but he had a gut feeling deep inside; an instinct that was telling him something wasn't right.

"_I just hope that my instincts are wrong, for once,"_ Fili thought with uneasiness.

Still unsure of what he just saw, Fili decided he would keep quiet about it. Maybe he would say something to Kili later. The two of them kept practically no secrets from each other, whether they were about them or other people. And, since this was about Aira, Fili knew his brother would definitely want to know eventually.

* * *

**Aira's POV**

Aira soon found her clothes and armor in the giant pile that the trolls had made with the rest of the Dwarves' clothing after they had been stripped earlier. After gathering all her garments, she decided she was going to get dressed behind one of the statues, wanting just a little space. Fortunately, she was not in her smallclothes alone, but she still wanted privacy when changing. Everyone else was dressing themselves out in the open, except Bofur and Bombur were struggling to help Bifur into his own clothes.

She moved behind one of the stone trolls and put her breeches and boots on, pulled her shirt and armored vest on over her head and then quickly secured the remains of her armor.

Just as Aira pulled on her fur-lined coat, a very familiar voice spoke behind her, "I have known you for over seventy years, Aira, and yet you still never cease to astound me."

Her head turned to see Thorin approaching her from behind the trees. Like her, he too had wanted a little privacy while dressing himself, especially with him being a King and all. His face donned a proud grin that was directed at her.

She returned the favor and replied, "You of all people should know I'm always full of surprises." Then she winked at him.

"I still wonder about that voice of yours," said Thorin. "It seems almost unnatural for a Dwarf woman. Most women of our race can sing, of course, and have good voices, but never in my life have I heard a Dwarven woman with one as beautiful and captivating as yours." He lifted a hand to her cheek and she leaned gratefully into his soft touch. "That truly is a gift!"

All Aira could do was smile at him.

"That song you chose: it sounded familiar," he said.

"It was one I often heard sung by your sister when I was growing up," she said in reply. "It just came to my mind for some reason."

Thorin nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, now remembering. "I believe Dis would sing that to you and the boys some nights when you were Dwarflings."

"Aye, that she did," said Aira. "I miss her."

"So do I, Aira. So do I."

They both heard movement and found Gandalf making his way towards them, knocking the head of the stone troll in front of them with his staff as if he was bragging about turning them to stone.

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Aira asked him.

"To look ahead," Gandalf answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

"What brought you back?" asked Thorin.

"Looking behind," said the wizard, simple as that.

Thorin nodded agreeably.

"Nasty business," Gandalf added. "Still you're all in one piece."

Thorin's eyebrows rose. "No thanks to your burglar."

"_You've got to be joking…!"_ Aira thought. "He had the nous to play for time, as did I," she acknowledged to Thorin.

Gandalf then stated also, "None of the rest of you thought of that."

Seeing as how both Aira and Gandalf were chastising him about his mistrust for the Hobbit, Thorin simply lowered his eyes and said nothing, admitting defeat this time.

Gandalf stared at the trolls inquisitively. "They must have come down from the Etenmoors," he suspected.

Thorin seemed curious about the trolls as well. "Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" he asked.

"Not for an Age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands," Gandalf said ominously as he glanced back at Thorin.

Thorin looked to the wizard and then to Aira, his eyes and face teeming with suspicion.

"They could not have moved in daylight," she pointed out.

Realizing that Aira was right, Thorin's eyes darted around, scanning the area. "There must be a cave nearby," he said before taking Aira by the hand and leading her back to the group, intent on gathering everyone to go in search of the trolls' cave.

* * *

Sure enough, they were able to find the cave after searching for a little while. In truth, it wasn't really that hard to find. The unpleasant smell that came from inside could be smelt from miles away, it seemed.

When Aira pointed out that the cave was easy to find because of that, Gandalf said to her, "When in doubt, Airaním, always follow your nose."

To which she responded, "In this case, I don't think I want to." She decided she was going to stay outside. Gandalf, Thorin, Bofur, Gloin, Nori, Dwalin and Kili were the only ones that were willing to explore inside.

* * *

**Thorin's POV**

Thorin, Gandalf and a handful of his companions ventured into the cave and the unbearable stench hit their sense of small hard like a brick wall.

"Ugh, what is that stench?" asked Nori.

"It's a troll-hoard," Gandalf answered, sounding just a tad annoyed. "Be careful what you touch."

All of the Dwarves were hacking and coughing at just how bad the air was down there but then just tried their best to ignore it. Thorin had made a torch and was now lighting the way. They hadn't made it very far when Bofur and Gloin spotted a pile of gold and jewels on the ground, shimmering in the sunlight.

"Seems a shame just to leave it lying around…," said Bofur, nudging some of the gold with his boot. "Anyone could take it."

"Agreed," said Gloin, who had just peeked inside a small chest also filled with gold. He looked then to Nori and told him nonchalantly, "Nori, get a shovel."

Dwalin was standing guard near the cave's entrance, Kili was wandering around, browsing everything and Thorin had set to looking through some bins over by the walls. There seemed to be a plethora of weapons lying around there. As he searched, two larger and more elaborate swords caught his eye. They were different than the rest of the swords. He pulled out the bigger one of the two, propped his torch down by another bin and then retrieved the other one, eyeing them both curiously. They were unlike any other blades he had ever seen.

"These swords were not made by any troll," he stated.

This caught Gandalf's attention. Thorin handed him the larger sword so he could see and began carefully examining the other one. It felt light and easy to carry. He could only imagine just how it would be to wield it in battle.

"Nor were they made by any smith among Men," Gandalf added as he tried to distinguish the make of the sword. After unsheathing a portion of the blade and recognizing the craft of it, he said, "These were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age."

Thorin, at the mention of the word "Elves", immediately thought less of the weapon in his hand and he disregarded everything he had been thinking about it. There were no good thoughts to be had about Elvish weapons. He gave Gandalf a bothered glance and went to discard it.

"You could not wish for a finer blade!" Gandalf said to scold him for his stubbornness.

The Dwarf King looked to the wizard and saw how serious his expression was. Reluctantly, he unsheathed a portion of the sword and gave it a look. Honestly, he was surprised by it. It was more unique than any other sword; the hilt, he recognized, was made of dragon tooth, it was light, sturdy and flexible with intricate designs on the smooth, curved blade. It was made of a fine metal that Thorin was not familiar with and it intrigued him. Despite the fact that it was an Elvish blade, he had to admit that Gandalf was right: there was no finer blade than this.

He picked up his torch and held the sword close to the firelight, admiring the workmanship of it. It certainly appeared to be a sword fit for a King, which seemed good and appropriate enough for him. Thorin then decided he wouldn't leave such an excellent weapon in the confinement of a troll-hoard and would claim it for himself.

He then took notice of another sword that was by itself in a corner; another Elvish blade. Wondering if that one would be the same as the one he had just found, he decided to take a look. It was actually very similar to his in craft and design. The only difference was the curved blade was actually thinner in width and slightly longer in length. The hilt was also simply bound in blue leather. A bit more casual than the one he held in his hand, yet it was just as fine a blade.

As Thorin finished examining it, his mind thought back to Airaním. Fili had told him on the way to the cave that her sword had been broken by one of the trolls back at their camp. The image of Aira wielding the weapon in his hand suddenly entered his mind and he couldn't help but think he could actually picture that really well.

"_I think Aira just might like this. She does require a new sword, after all,"_ Thorin thought gladly as he took the sword from its corner.

* * *

**Kili's POV**

While Bofur, Gloin and Nori were shoveling a hole in the dirt and Dwalin was standing watch and Gandalf and Thorin were looking over some weapons, Kili simply walked around the cave, perusing through everything, not really looking for anything in particular; just looking. All there really was to find in the troll-hoard was gold, which he really had no interest in unlike the three digging Dwarves; swords, which he felt he didn't need already having a functional sword along with a bow; and bits of furniture, which, to Kili, seemed rather odd.

His boot brushed up against something and he came across a wooden box on the ground. He knelt down, picked it up and opened the lid to see what was inside. There was a large assortment of jewelry in the box: necklaces, rings, brooches and ear-cuffs. Kili wasn't much of a jewelry person, but decided to go through the trinkets anyway. There were some made of gold, some of silver and even a couple of iron. He could see almost every type of jewel that he could think of: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, garnets, sapphires and so much more.

While looking through the jewelry, Kili kept thinking about Aira and how he could see her wearing almost every single item in that box. However, she was never really one to wear jewels often, just on special occasions. That didn't matter to him, though. That didn't stop him from imagining every piece of gold and silver in the box adorning her slender neck and hands that were a bit dainty for a Dwarf woman.

"_Oh, gods, I'm doing it again!"_ he thought, mentally slapping himself.

Just then, Kili noticed one more ring at the bottom of box that he had missed. Something about it caught his eye as he removed it, set the box down and then held the ring close to his face to get a good look it.

It was a band made of gold and on it was a pebble-sized, sparkling sapphire bordered by four smaller, dark green emeralds. It was not big and elaborate like a majority of the rings that he found were; it was smaller, more simple and still just as stunning in appearance. In fact, Kili found its simplicity more beautiful than the rest.

Not only that, but the longer he stared at the ring, the more he began to think of and see something more; rather, a bit of symbolism with it. There was a connection he made with it, thinking that each of the stones meant something. In his mind, it was perfectly clear; it all had to do with Aira. He understood it and he knew that she would, too.

"_This ring would be perfect for her,"_ he said in his mind, grinning as he did.

With that, Kili tucked the ring into a pocket in his trousers and walked back over by Dwalin. Both of them then stared down at Nori, Bofur and Gloin, who had just placed a small chest filled with gold into the hole they had dug and were burying it, wondering what in the world they were doing.

Taking notice of their funny looks, Gloin informed them, "We're making a long-term deposit."

Dwalin just shook his head, rolling his eyes, and Kili shrugged, neither of them having anything to say to that.

"Let's get out of this foul place. Come on, let's go!" they heard Thorin order as he made his way back to the entrance of the cave. He turned back, with Dwalin leading the way and Kili right behind him, and called for Bofur, Gloin and Nori, who were finishing up with the hole.

Kili slipped his hand into his pocket and clutched the ring inside it, now suddenly anxious to give it Aira eventually once they were outside.

* * *

**Aira's POV**

Just beyond the entrance, Bifur was showing Aira the skull of a mountain goat he had found underneath a rock. She gave him a confused look as to why he was handing it to her.

"_You don't see a lot of these around here,"_ was what he told her, speaking Khuzdul.

"I suppose you're right," Aira replied, setting the skull back down on the ground. Then she heard footsteps coming out of the cave and she saw Dwalin, Kili and Thorin were the first to come out.

Kili caught her eye as he stepped out and they both just smiled at each other. For what reason, neither of them really knew. It wasn't like Kili had been gone long and they were starting to miss each other. They both supposed in the back of their minds that they were still even then getting used to the fact that they were reunited after so many years of being apart and they just liked being able to actually see each other again.

Plus, Aira had to admit, Kili's lovable smile made her heart flutter and do every sort of flip imaginable in her chest.

And Kili had to admit that Aira's lovely smile made him catch his breath every time he saw it.

She saw him slip a hand into his pocket and start towards her, but then Bofur came up from behind him and approached her first, putting himself in her line of sight.

"Aira!" he called, almost startling her. As he reached where she was standing, he said to her in a nice tone, "I have something for you."

"Really?" Aira asked.

"Now, I know how humble you are about being considered royalty and all," Bofur began, "and you don't wear many jewels because of it, but I think that you should have at least one pretty thing to show for it." He lifted his hand, opened it and Aira gasped as he held out a silver ring with a small, glittering, light lavender-colored stone with two tiny diamonds on either side. He grinned at her reaction, happy to see that she liked it.

"Oh, my, it's lovely! Thank you!" Aira exclaimed as she took the ring from him and slipped it onto her right index finger.

Bofur shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Just a little gift for you, lass, to show how much I care about you and to thank you for being a wonderful friend." Then his expression softened and he laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm very glad you're here with us to help keep our spirits up. This here is a hard journey, indeed, and it's nice to know that there is someone who can bring peace and comfort to any of us when we need it. The world could use more genuine people like you."

Aira was so touched by his kind gesture and, most of all, his heartfelt words. It was no wonder she adored this cheerful Dwarf with the funny hat, adorable accent and heart of gold!

She let out a cheerful laugh, wrapped her arms around Bofur's neck in a tight embrace and she said to him endearingly, "Oh, Bofur, you truly are the sweetest Dwarf in all of Middle-Earth!"

They pulled apart and Bofur was grinning from ear to ear. "Well, you know how hard I fight to keep that title," he said with a playful twinkle in his eye.

Aira could then hear Thorin's voice calling for her near the entrance of the troll-hoard. She thanked Bofur once again for his beautiful gift and went to see what Thorin wanted.

* * *

**Kili's POV**

Having felt a little disappointed at Bofur for getting there first to Aira with a gift—which he completely didn't expect—Kili had walked off to his brother while the two of them talked, still holding his fingers around the ring in his pocket.

Fili noticed the unusual expression Kili had as he approached him. "Everything all right, brother?" he asked.

"Yes, everything's fine. It's nothing," Kili quickly answered. He looked and saw that his brother clearly didn't believe him. He rolled his eyes. "All right, I just found a ring in the cave that I wanted to give to Aira and I'm maybe a little put out that Bofur beat me to it."

"You're not jealous, are you?"

Kili's eyes squinted. "What? No, of course not."

"You know that Bofur doesn't think of Aira the way you do."

"Yes, I do know that. He's just as close a friend to her as we are. I could never be jealous of Bofur."

"Well, that's good, then. Let me see the ring you found."

Kili took out the sapphire and emerald ring out of his pocket and handed it to Fili, who looked it over and his eyebrows rose in approval.

"This is very nice," he said, turning it over in his fingers. "Did you just pick this at random or is there a particular reason for you choosing this one for Aira?"

"I have a reason. I thought it was very emblematic of her."

"How so?"

"Look at the stones and think; see if you can make the connection."

Fili did as his brother suggested and looked carefully at the sapphire and four emeralds, thinking of a bunch of different things having to do with Aira that could possibly be the connection Kili had made. The sapphire had to represent _her_…so what were the four emeralds? What did Aira have that there were four of in her life?

Then it dawned on him and he gave Kili an understanding nod. "Oh, well-thought, Kili!" he said as he handed the ring back. "Very excellent choice. I'm positive she will love it."

Kili just grinned as he slipped the ring back into his trousers.

"While we're still talking about Aira," said Fili, "there's something I need to tell you."

Kili glanced at Fili. His face and his tone now were more serious and Kili became a tad bit uneasy. "What is it?" he asked.

Fili then explained to him what he had seen earlier on Aira's back while Dwalin had been helping him out of the sack the trolls put him in. "I can't be sure exactly of what I saw…but I swear there were thin, white lines on her skin," he said, a little apprehensive.

"You mean…like scars?" Kili asked with wide eyes.

"I don't what else they could be," Fili responded, his voice trailing off at the end as he seemed to get lost in thought.

"What are you thinking?"

"I think…I'm thinking something happened to Aira while she was gone; something bad…and she's not telling us."

Kili shuddered at that thought. He could not even dare to imagine anything bad happening to her in fear that his inner rage would burst at just an idea. To think that something or someone could have possibly scarred the beautiful Dwarf woman he cared so much for was sickening.

"I just hope you're hunch turns out to be wrong," he said to his brother as his eyes found her talking to Thorin.

His older brother laid a hand on his shoulder, also looking at her, and said. "So do I."

* * *

**Aira's POV**

After hearing the Dwarf King call for her, Aira obeyed quickly and went to him. "What is it, Thorin?" she asked.

Thorin extended his hands holding a sword out to her. "Fili told me what happened to your sword during the incident with the trolls," he explained. "I found this and thought you could use it. I think it suits you."

Aira graciously took the sword, but then became confused as she realized the type of blade it was. "Thorin...you do know that this is an Elvish sword?" she asked.

He nodded.

It was then she noticed the new sword he had sheathed on his back and saw that it too was an Elven sword. Now she was really bewildered.

"You are giving me a blade that is of Elvish-make and you have another slung across your back. This is very unlike you, Thorin," Aira said as she fastened the sheath to her belt.

Thorin gave small shrug and replied, "Gandalf says I could not wish for a finer blade and I feel inclined to take his word for it."

"I'm sure he speaks true." However, something about the situation, not just about the swords but something else overall, wasn't sitting right with Aira. After a brief moment of silence, she questioned, "You trust Gandalf's judgment of weapons over his judgment of other people?"

His face slightly hardened and he gave her a look that was almost a scowl. "That is different," he said to her. "Weapons cannot deceive you the way people can."

"And you think Bilbo is trying to deceive you?" Aira asked.

"I do not know him and I find it difficult to trust people I don't know."

"Even after Gandalf has put in a good word for him with you?" When his expression remained unchanged, she said to him, "Thorin, he is a Hobbit; a kind and honest fellow. Why would he want to deceive you and what could he possibly gain from it?"

Thorin simply looked away, knowing she was making a valid point but was, once again, too inflexible to admit it and was in no mood to argue.

Aira reached out her hand to touch Thorin's cheek and turned his face back to look at her. "You are one of the wisest Dwarves I know, if not the wisest," she began to say with a gentle voice, "but right now your stubbornness is far outweighing your wisdom and better judgment."

Taken aback, Thorin pulled her hand away. "My stubbornness has nothing to do with it," he snapped at her.

"It has everything to do with it!" Aira said back. "Gandalf trusts Bilbo and that alone should be enough to convince you, but even then, you have not fully placed your trust in Gandalf either and he out of anyone in this company is the most deserving of it." Now she was beginning to get louder and a bit more firm in voice with Thorin. "None of us would even be here without him. We would all be getting digested in the stomachs of mountain trolls if it wasn't for him…_and _Bilbo!"

Thorin pointed a sharp finger at her, inches away from her face. "I will _not_ have you lecturing me about this, Airaním!" he stated crossly. "My judgment is not clouded in any way and I will not stand here and let you tell me it is." He could feel his blood boiling as the sudden anger towards Aira built even more inside him.

Neither of them were prepared for what Thorin said next.

He went on angrily before he could stop himself, "And _you_, of all people, have no right to accuse me of such things! I am not the one who deserted their family in the middle of the night and ran off into the wild, chasing adolescent dreams in search of adventure like a foolish child! If that is not the perfect example of being so stubborn and having poor judgment, then I don't know what is!"

There was nothing but the sound of silence. Thorin realized that all eyes were on him and Aira, staring at them in absolute shock.

His eyes found Aira's and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. There were tears falling down her face one right after the other as she stared at him with eyes that showed nothing but deep hurt and sorrow that he had never seen from her before.

Thorin had never felt so guilty about anything in his entire life as he realized what had just happened; what harsh words he had just said to her. "_Oh, Durin and the gods, what have I done…?"_ he thought as shame plagued his mind. He opened his mouth to say something to Aira, but could find no words at all.

Aira, deeply wounded by his outburst, finally said almost in a whisper, conveying her pain, "You told me you forgave me; that there was nothing to forgive…and I believed you." She paused, letting her words sink in before going on, "It's clear to me now that you did not mean that." Then she shook her head and said bitterly, "You lied to me."

She turned on her heel and went to walk away but only got two steps away when she stopped and turned to him again. After taking a shaky breath, she said to him, trying her hardest to hold back her tears, "Right now, you are not the wise King I have always known, Thorin, and I cannot begin to lose faith in you. Not now, of all times. But it appears I have no choice, seeing as how you lost your faith in _me_ long ago."

Then she whirled around and ran.

"Aira, no!" Thorin desperately called out, but it was no use.

Kili went to follow her but was stopped by Balin, holding up a hand to Thorin, who was also moving forward, to stop him.

"Don't, laddie," he said to both of them. "Leave her be."

Kili wanted nothing more than to either follow Aira and make sure she was all right or punch his uncle hard in the face. He whipped around so fast his hair briefly flew into his eyes and he stomped towards Thorin. "What in Durin's name was that about, Uncle?!" he demanded, giving him an angry scowl.

Thorin still was unable to speak and could not answer him, the shock of what just happened weighing down on him hard.

Fili came up next to Kili. He didn't look as fuming as his brother, but it was evident that he was still plenty angry. "Is it true what you said? Is this how you've actually felt about Aira leaving us all along?" he asked Thorin.

He hung his head and kept silent.

"Have you _ever_ really forgiven Aira for what she did?" Kili questioned him loudly.

"Of course, I have, Kili!" Thorin snapped. He sighed and said more calmly yet full of regret, "I don't know what worldly force possessed me to say such things to her. It was all untrue…I meant none of it."

No one had anything to say to him in regards to what had just happened with Aira. Granted, they were unaware as to what had led to Thorin's outburst, but they all felt it was best to not ask and leave it alone. The absolute shame in his face was apparent and everyone knew he truly felt sorry for his insensitive words.

Suddenly his head jolted up and his eyes were wide. He could hear something in the distance. "Something's coming!" he shouted, drawing his sword.

Gandalf nearby cried out, "Stay together! Hurry now!" They all began to follow him away from the cave. "Arm yourselves!"

Kili began to panic. "Aira!" he shouted to the air before taking off just behind his brother. He had no idea where she had run off to and he could only hope that whatever was coming their way wouldn't get to her before they did.

* * *

Aira had no idea how far she had run before she finally stopped. She knew she hadn't gone far but it didn't matter to her, as long as she was away from the rest of the company. At last, she leaned back against a tree to catch her breath and she slid down to the ground, whimpering as she did so.

How could Thorin have done this to her? He had told her he'd forgiven her for leaving all those years ago and his harsh eruption had contradicted everything he'd ever said. It was obvious he had never forgiven her and had kept his true feelings about what she did to himself. Probably to protect her, she thought, and that had clearly proved pointless. It had only hurt her even more. Thorin had lied to her; something he had never done with her ever.

Aira thought back to the last thing she had said to him before she ran: "_Right now, you are not the wise King I have always known, Thorin, and I cannot begin to lose faith in you. Not now, of all times. But it appears I have no choice, seeing as how you lost your faith in me long ago." _

If the Dwarf King she had come to trust, love and admire like a father had really been lying to her all this time, then what faith was left for her to have in him? How could she face him the same again after this?

The sound of rustling and breaking branches in the distance interrupted her thoughts and she flinched, her hand reaching to the hilt of her sword. Something was coming.

She then heard the sound of someone calling her name from far off. It sounded like Kili. The rest of the company must have heard what she did too and they were now looking for her. She could hear the movement through the trees and bushes getting closer. It would do her no good to run and try to find the Dwarves now, so she drew her sword and prepared herself.

"Aira!" The company came around the bend with weapons ready at hand and suddenly Fili was beside her on her other side. He pulled her close to him and holding his sword out defensively as a line of rabbits pulling a large sled and someone riding it crashed through the bushes into the spot where she had just been standing.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" cried the man on the sled. Aira glanced curiously at this strange man. He was a bearded man clad in a thick brown robe covered in leaves and sticks. He wore a large, feathered hat that made Bofur's hat look normal by comparison and on the right side of his was face was some crusty white matter that Aira didn't want to figure out what it was.

"Radagast! It's Radagast the Brown," Gandalf reassured the rest of them, putting his sword away. As the company put away their own weapons, Gandalf approached the other wizard. "What on earth are you doing here?" he asked him.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf," Radagast replied quickly and out of breath. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong!"

"Yes…?" Gandalf said, urging him to get to the point.

Radagast opened his mouth to say something, but then he paused. He went to speak again, but then he paused yet again, looking quite confused. "Just give me a minute," he said. He let out a groan. "Oh, I had a thought and now I've lost it. It was right there on the tip of my tongue!" Then his expression turned to awareness of something. "Oh, it's not a thought at all," he said, sticking out his tongue that had something small and thin on it which Gandalf removed. "It's a silly old stick insect!"

They all were a bit perplexed at the odd actions of this wizard. Aira and Fili had shared weird glances with each other, thinking how odd that was.

Gandalf, after setting the stick insect down on a bush, took Radagast aside to speak with him, leaving the Dwarves and Bilbo to themselves.

Aira's head turn and she found herself locking eyes with Thorin. He gave her an almost-pleading look, but she turned, not wanting to speak with him, and moved away from Fili.

Thorin began to budge forward but then stopped, knowing it would be of no use. She was in no mood to deal with him at that moment and she had every right to feel that way.

He felt Dwalin's hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry too much, lad," he said to his friend. "Aira just needs her time, as do you."

Thorin simply nodded.

Fili, as Aira walked away from him, caught her hand and moved her around to face him. "Aira, are you all right?" he asked calmly.

Her gaze hardened. "What do you think?" she asked rhetorically with bitterness. "You heard everything Thorin said."

"He didn't mean any of it."

"I find that hard to believe."

Fili sighed. "I may not know what started your disagreement, but I know that my uncle should not have said any of those things whether he meant them or not. Kili and I got angry with him after you ran off. We were not happy with him and, for once, he deserved to be scolded for his absurd behavior." His sight diverted to something behind her. "I thought Kili was going to bite his head off!"

Aira looked around and saw Kili coming up to them, both worry and relief etched in his face.

He replied to his brother, "If given the chance, I think I would have." Then he took Aira's other hand in both of his and brought it up close to his face. "Don't dwell on anything Uncle Thorin said. You did nothing wrong." He pressed her knuckles firmly to his lips and held her hand there for a few seconds, letting his comforting touch linger on her skin.

She thanked them both before letting her gaze wander around to look at the area around them. Soon she caught sight of the rabbits that had been pulling Radagast's sleigh. There seemed to be over half a dozen of them with brown fur, dark eyes and cute little twitching noses. The unusual thing about these rabbits were their size; they were about four times larger than a regular-sized rabbit, so about the size of a small or medium-sized dog, perhaps. As she saw them, a couple of them caught her gaze and stared at her with their almost black eyes with longing, as if asking her to come and play with them.

They were too adorable to resist. She let out an "Aw!" before walking over to them slowly. Aira knelt down in front of one of them and held out a gentle hand to it. "Hello, there, my furry friend," she said sweetly. "I wonder if Radagast ever has time to play with any of you. It seems like that may not happen very often." She moved her hand out farther and the rabbit cautiously leaned its head forward. "It's all right, I am a friend; I won't hurt you."

The rabbit's nose slowly moved up to the tips of her fingers and it began to sniff curiously. The little tiny hairs on its nose tickled Aira's fingers and she giggled lightly. The rabbit then began to snuggle its head in her palm. It was just so cute that Aira couldn't help but giggle even more.

At the sound of the Dwarf woman's happy sounds, the rabbit then jumped right into her lap and began nuzzling and licking at her face, making small little squeaking noises as it did so. Before Aira knew it, she was suddenly being bombarded by about four other rabbits, sniffing, nuzzling and licking her face, and they drove her down onto her back as she cried out in surprise and started laughing lightheartedly. What lovable little creatures they were!

Fili and Kili were grinning at the sight of Aira being tackled by the rabbits. It warmed their hearts to see that she could still smile after what had taken place earlier and, they had to admit, it was cute seeing their friend playing and interacting with these gentle creatures. It was good to see this good-natured fun.

Then, while trying to stifle another laugh, she called out, "Fili, Kili, someone help me up! These rabbits are suffocating me!"

Kili decided to obey her call and he pulled a couple of the rabbits off before helping her back up to her feet. They both knelt down and began to pet the furry creatures gently behind their ears.

"I just love rabbits," said Kili. "Such wonderful and innocent creatures."

"Indeed," Aira replied.

Kili stole a glance at Aira and there it was again: her radiant smile that replaced the look of hurt she had before and his heart began to beat rapidly. Seeing her in a pleasant mood like this made him wonder how anything or anyone could ever want to hurt her.

Then that thought reminded him of what Fili had informed him of earlier of the supposed scars he thought he had seen on Airaním's back. Kili tried to look, but the fur of her coat along with her long hair covered the back of her neck so he couldn't see anything. He then felt an urge inside him to ask her if what Fili thought he saw was right. Not just to help his brother know if he was right, but also because Kili just had to know for himself. He couldn't take it, not knowing if there were really scars on her; he just _had_ to know.

"Aira," he said in a soft voice so no one could really hear, getting her attention. When she turned to face him, he went on, "there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it, Kili?" Aira asked.

After a brief pause, Kili said, "Earlier today, after the incident with the trolls, Fili told me he saw something—"

He was suddenly cut off by the sound of a distant howl and everyone jumped.

"Was that a wolf?" asked Bilbo, concerned. "Are there wolves out there?"

Bofur, who looked quite on edge, answered, "Wolves? No, that is not a wolf."

Aira looked up and saw a huge, hairy beast climbing over a crevice in a rock at the top of the hill, growling at them. "Look out!" she cried as it launched itself down and landed on top of Dori, pinning him to the ground.

Luckily, Thorin was quick to draw his sword and bring it down on the beast's neck. Another one was coming down just behind Thorin and Kili swiftly shot it down with one of his arrows. It landed next to Thorin and Dwalin cracked its skill with his hammer, killing it instantly.

Gandalf and Radagast had re-joined them once they had heard the loud roars from the beasts and the Dwarves shouting.

"Warg-scouts!" Thorin exclaimed as he removed the sword from the Warg's hairy body. "Which means an Orc-pack is not far behind!"

"Orc-pack?" Bilbo repeated.

Gandalf moved towards Thorin. "Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" he questioned.

Thorin seemed a little taken aback at such a question. "No one."

"Who did you tell?!"

"No one, I swear!" Thorin replied insistently. When he noticed Gandalf scanning the area with a troubled look, he asked, very concerned, "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted," said Gandalf.

Aira, Kili and Fili all looked to each other with worried looks in their eyes.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin said in a low voice.

"We can't!" cried out Ori. "We have no ponies! They've bolted."

Aira's heart dropped. That had to mean Vega had bolted, too! She had a melancholy feeling in her heart as she thought about how she'd never see her dear pony again.

"I'll draw them off!" she heard Radagast state boldly.

Gandalf turned to him, not quite liking his idea. "These are Gundabad Wargs. They will outrun you," he said.

Radagast, however, was not persuaded. In fact, he pointed a thumb over his shoulder to his sleigh and said with confidence, "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits. I'd like to see them try!"

Aira had a feeling that soon there would be quite a chase to be had.

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**Next up: the Warg chase!**

**Gosh, so much to think about, huh? Lots of sweetness and intensity!**

**Reviews and PM's are very much appreciated and welcome, as usual! :D**

**PS: I'd be curious to see if any of you think you know the symbolism behind Kili's ring for Aira... ;) I'd love to hear what you all think about that! And not to worry, the answer will be revealed in a couple of chapters! :)**


	14. On the Run

**So I'm on spring break right now; I'm in Denver with my family, so I may not be updating for a little while. However, having a long 10-hour drive, I had plenty of time to get a chapter written and, now that I have internet again, I can get it up for all you wonderful readers!**

**This one's not as long as my last couple ones, but I do hope you'll enjoy it all the same! :)**

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After Radagast departed their company, the Dwarves, the Hobbit and the wizard moved as fast they could out of the forest and out into the open, rocky plains. They hid themselves behind one of the stone outcroppings and were to wait for Radagast's signal before they were to run.

Aira found herself standing between Dwalin and Fili, clutching hard onto the hilt of her sword nervously with one hand and her redwood bow with the other. She too was a skilled archer like Kili. He had been the one to train her in the ways of archery; he had been her teacher. Her bow, she had crafted herself from a redwood tree when she was around twenty-eight years of age. It had been quite some time since she had used it last and she thought maybe it was time to let it see the light of day again.

She felt Fili's hand on her shoulder and she met his fretful gaze, along with Kili's right next to him. "Stick with us, Aira," he said, tilting his head to gesture to Kili also. "We will protect you."

"No," Aira said to them. She took Fili's hand that was on her shoulder in hers, Kili's hand with her other and grasped them tight. "We will protect _each other_," she avowed gallantly. As always, she was not going to allow herself to be the weak one of the three. She was as protective of the brothers as they were of her. Then she pulled them both into her arms for a comforting embrace and they all wrapped their arms around each other. Aira was sure that everything was going to be all right, but she couldn't help but want to hold Fili and Kili close as if it were their last time together.

Their moment ended within seconds as they could hear Radagast calling out to the Orc-pack from not far off. Once they saw him drive by their hiding place on his sleigh with the Wargs right on his tail, they knew that was the signal.

"Come on," Gandalf ordered and they took off down the hill, the howling of the Wargs hanging in the air.

The landscape was all rugged and often difficult to run on, at first. Aira was sure she would lose her footing multiple times but managed to keep her balance. Not to mention every time she would stumble even a little, either Fili or Kili was right behind her to steady her.

She could still hear the howls and the loud snarls of the Wargs in the distance. In her head, she hoped that Radagast would be all right. He was a wizard, he had to be. He had promised to buy them enough time for them to escape.

There was only one thing about that that Aira wondered about: where were they going to escape? From the looks of it, there seemed to nothing around for miles on these plains except for a few trees and a lot of rock rises. Where could they possibly go?

The company rounded a corner and was then stopped by Thorin at the front. They all halted to see Radagast riding by yards away from them with the Orcs still chasing him.

"Stay together," Gandalf said.

"Move!" Thorin bellowed. The entire company did an about-face and ran quickly another way in the opposite direction in which they were originally going. They couldn't risk being seen by the Orcs or else they were done for.

Aira was now behind Fili and Kili, who went to switch places with her again but were told by her to not worry and just keep running.

They were all moving as fast as their legs could carry them, carrying their weapons and prepared to use them should the Wargs suddenly come upon them. It was that fear that was driving all of them to keep running for their lives.

Just then, Aira's foot slipped into a small dip in the ground and she tripped down to the grass, giving out a startled cry as she hit the ground. Not a second later did she hear a shuffle in the earth, see a spear land beside her and feel a pair of strong hands hoist her up beneath her arms as a raspy voice said something to her in Khuzdul.

It was Bifur who had come to her aid. Aira gave him quick, thankful nod before taking off again, smirking at what he had said to her: "_You're supposed to stay __up__ when you run, jelly-legs!"_

Fili and Kili had stopped, hearing her startled cry, and watched as Bifur helped Aira and she came running back to them. Noticing that she was all right, they turned back and resumed running.

Once again, they all began to round a corner when the Brown wizard and the Wargs were spotted in the distance and halted beside the rock. Thorin quickly jerked back Ori who was about to run right into the open. They remained in place until Gandalf began to signal them to move quickly.

"Where are you leading us?" Aira heard Thorin ask and there was no reply. She didn't have time to wonder why Gandalf had given no answer and kept running, noticing Thorin's irritated roll of the eyes as she passed him.

The plains seemed to go on forever and their fleeing felt endless. How were they going to get out of this? For how long could Radagast hold off the Wargs before things went wrong?

They could hear the wizard and the Wargs approaching not far off, so the company diverted from their path and backed themselves up against the wall of one of the many stone ridges for safety. Aira moved between Fili and Kili. Fili held her hand tightly and Kili positioned himself almost in front of her as a shield.

Just then, they could hear growling and movement up above them. Aira looked up and saw a Warg-scout with its curved, jagged Orc blade drawn, carefully scanning the area in search of the Dwarves. She stiffened up. It would only be a matter of minutes before it was bound to look down, find them and alert the others to their location.

She caught Thorin giving Kili a look and motioning down to his bow with his head, subtly telling him to take care of the Orc. Kili nodded in understanding, drew an arrow from his quiver and notched it on the string of his bow. He readied himself then jumped out from behind the rock, drawing his arrow back and releasing it into the unsuspecting Warg. It gave out a loud roar as the arrow hit.

Aira looked up to see if it was going to fall over dead, but it wasn't. And now the Orc atop the Warg was reaching down for the horn it had hanging at its side. She looked back to Kili, but he wasn't going to be able to get another arrow out in time to stop it from alerting the rest of the pack. With one swift motion, Aira drew one of her own arrows and launched it up into the Orc's shoulder. Her sudden and quick action surprised Kili and Thorin as well as the rest of the company. Unfortunately, as the Orc and its Warg crashed to the ground, it let out a loud screech that echoed. Surely now, the rest of the pack would hear it and would find them.

As the Orc got to its feet, ready to strike, Dwalin and Bifur began to stab it and beat it with their hammer and spear to silence it. Thorin assisted them and brought his sword down upon the creature's neck for the final blow while Bifur made sure the Warg was dead as well.

Kili gave Aira a gentle nudge. "Thanks for the help," he said.

"Oh, please, I couldn't let _you_ be the one to save the day," Aira teased.

"Move! Run!" Gandalf shouted. Aira grabbed Kili's hand and they re-joined the group to follow the wizard.

Now they were moving faster than ever, certain that the Orc-pack would soon be upon them. No one dared to look back. Over winding paths and raised hills they ran, darting around the trees and raised rocks, which were now becoming scarce. It would be difficult to find good places to hide now.

"There they are!" shouted Gloin, pointing off in another direction, and they stopped. Sure enough, they could all see the figures of Wargs coming up over the hills.

"This way, quickly!" Gandalf ordered them, leading them a different way now.

The company hadn't gotten far when they came to a standstill again, seeing more Orcs on their Wargs coming out from the hills around them. They were caught in the middle of an open clearing with only one giant raised stone in the center of it.

Aira stood in place, pulled out an arrow and locked it in her bow, looking around frantically. They were everywhere; there was no way out.

"There's more coming!" Kili cried out to warn them.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin shouted to him.

"We're surrounded!" yelled Fili, his short-swords ready at hand.

Kili loosed an arrow at one of the Warg-scouts, hitting it square in the chest.

"Where is Gandalf?" Dori demanded.

Aira looked back and realized that Gandalf had disappeared. Where had the wizard gone off to?

"He's abandoned us!" answered Dwalin.

"What are we going to do? There's no way out!" Aira loudly cried as she shot an arrow at an approaching Orc. The foul creatures were all coming towards them slowly, only building up the tension the company was already feeling.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin ordered bravely, brandishing his Elvish sword and battle axe, preparing himself for a battle.

Aira's throat and chest tightened. She really couldn't see any way that they were going to get out of this situation. There was nowhere to go and they were all completely surrounded. It would be just mere moments before the Orcs would be upon them. They only had one inevitable option: they would have to fight their way out of this.

Her eyes caught Kili's gaze and they both could see each other's fear. Then she turned and looked at Fili, who had the same look on his face. They were ready for what was coming, but that didn't stop them from feeling afraid nonetheless.

"This way, you fools!"

Aira flipped around. There was Gandalf standing behind a boulder in front of the stone projection. She felt herself smile as she sighed with relief. "_I knew he wouldn't actually abandon us!"_ she thought.

The company followed Gandalf without hesitation and started making their way to the outcropping. Thorin jumped on top of the boulder and shouted anxiously, "Quickly, all of you!" There was an entrance to an underground tunnel just behind the boulder and they began to jump inside, Thorin yelling at them to go.

Kili and Aira, however, had remained where they were to try and buy a little time for the rest of the company to get inside the tunnel. They were firing upon the Orcs and Wargs that were coming upon them.

"Kili! Aira! Run!" they heard Thorin call.

The two young Dwarves obeyed his orders and started to run, though Aira noticed that there were three Wargs that were charging in their direction, coming up behind them fast. "_They'll surely overcome us if we keep running,"_ she determined. "_I have to do something to give Kili and Thorin enough time to get to safety."_ With this in mind, she ceased running and stood her ground, placing her bow in its quiver and drawing her sword.

Both Kili and Thorin had noticed what she was doing as Kili reached his uncle. "Aira, what are you doing?" he cried out.

"Go, both of you! I'll be right behind you!" she shouted just as a Warg was approaching her. With a single fluid motion, Aira twisted around and slashed her sword through the Warg's neck and then sliced the side of its rider, sending them both to the ground.

"Get in, boy," Thorin said to his nephew.

Kili wanted to protest but knew he wouldn't get anywhere in doing so. He took one last glance at Airaním, who was about to face a second oncoming Warg, hoping she'd be all right and that he'd see her soon in the tunnel. With that, he slid down into the passage.

Thorin looked back at Aira as she took out the next Warg. "Aira, come on!" he ordered.

There was still one more coming. "Don't argue with me, Thorin Oakenshield! Go now!" she screamed almost as a threat.

Growling to himself in frustration, Thorin listened to her and finally jumped down into the tunnel.

Seeing they both were now safe underground, Aira began to gradually make her way towards the entrance, still on her guard as the third Warg-scout came upon her. But then, she realized that something about this particular Orc seemed familiar. She had seen it before.

The Orc slowed its steed down as it drew nearer to her and snarled at the Dwarf woman. Then it opened its mouth and growled one single word in the Orc language that made Aira freeze completely in fear:

"_Snaga!"_

_Slave._

Aira couldn't move. Her heart had stopped completely as the horror of that one word consumed her. There was only one group of Orcs that knew her by that appalling title, which could only mean one thing….

"Oh, gods, no…!" she gasped.

Using her fear to its advantage, the leader of the Orc-pack urged its Warg forward again, charging at a high speed. To Aira's dismay, she was caught off guard and slow to defend herself. She began to raise her sword, but the Orc was quicker and swung his own blade down upon her, slashing her side from the hip up to below her chest.

The force from the blow sent Aira tumbling down to the ground and a yell of pain jumped from her throat as she landed, the throbbing in her side beginning to hit. She looked up and realized that the Orc and a couple of others had encircled themselves around her and were now closing in.

* * *

Down below in the tunnel, the company had been waiting for Aira to come down when they heard her cry and they knew immediately that something had gone wrong.

"Aira!" Kili shouted in alarm, pushing past the Dwarves in front of him to make his way to the entrance. He heard her cry of pain and at once wanted to get out and go to her.

"Kili, no, don't!" Fili said as he grabbed his brother to stop him.

"She's in trouble, Fili, she needs help!"

"You think I don't want to help her either? Believe me, brother, I do, but we can't get back up to the entrance. Just calm yourself, Aira will be all right."

The rest of the company was silent, all of them growing nervous as to what was happening with Aira.

Despite his silence and calm demeanor, Thorin was panicking immensely inside. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't be! He hoped desperately that Aira was all right and that she wouldn't be killed up there. He was silently praying to Mahal, "_Aira can't die, not like this. I said the cruelest things to her in my frustration and anger and she now believes I lied to her about forgiving her. She cannot die believing that! I regret every word, for I truly meant none of it, and I wish I could take it all back. Oh, Mahal, please don't take Airaním from me! She is the joy of my life; she means the world to me. I love her as my own child! All I ask is for a second chance for us; for me to right this terrible wrong I've done. Please…!"_

Another bloodcurdling scream was heard that made everyone fear the worst was happening or about to happen.

Thorin couldn't contain it any longer, letting out his sheer terror in his voice.

"AIRA!"

* * *

One of the Orcs had raised its gruesome weapon on command from the leader and was getting ready to bring it down for the kill. Aira's entire left side was in agony and wet with blood. She could barely move to reach her sword. She was helpless. Seeing that death was near and scared of that realization, she let out an awful scream.

The sound of Thorin's voice desperately calling her name was the last she thing she believed she'd ever hear.

Suddenly, there was a whizzing noise and the Orc about to kill her dropped dead off its Warg, an arrow protruding from its back. The sound of a horn soon followed. Aira gasped as she saw a small regiment of armored archers coming up on horseback, shooting the Wargs they came upon them.

Mustering up what strength she had left, she rolled over close to a nearby tree so as to not get run over by any of the horses or Wargs that were now fleeing the area. More of the riders rode past her and took down more of the Orcs. One of them shot an Orc that fell down into the passage where the company had gone.

* * *

In the tunnel, they had all heard the horns and the noises of a brawl happening above ground and became apprehensive as to what was going on. Within minutes, a dead Orc came plummeting down to the ground in front of them, shot in the neck.

Thorin knelt down and removed the arrow. He recognized the craft of it and his stomach turned. "Elves," he stated as he tossed the arrow away in disgust. He then looked to Gandalf, realizing that something wasn't right.

Sensing that they had to move quickly, Dwalin wandered to the back of the tunnel and found a path in the back. "I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" he called out.

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur answered, also thinking that they had to get out of there.

The company started making their way towards the back after Dwalin and Bofur.

"I think that would be wise," said Gandalf.

"What about Aira?" Fili asked.

"She's still up there," Kili added.

"Do not worry, my friends," he said to them. "I'm sure that young Aira is fine. Once we make our way out of this passage, we'll find her."

Still not quite feeling any less concerned about their friend, Fili and Kili said nothing to Gandalf and left to follow the back pathway, following just behind Bilbo and Thorin.

Sunlight peeked in above them through the crack in the mountain they were moving through. The path did not go very far and soon they all found themselves on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast valley on the side of the mountain. Everyone stared out in awe at the sight they now beheld.

There was a large and glorious-looking city that glowed brightly in the sunlight. The colors of the trees were a variety of golds and reds and there were many beautiful waterfalls cascading down into a valley below.

"The Valley of Imladris," Gandalf informed them. "In the common tongue, it is known by another name."

Bilbo, who was gazing out at the city full of wonder and amazement, answered, "Rivendell."

"Here lies the last Homely House East of the Sea," Gandalf added.

The Dwarves kept staring. Despite the fact that it was an Elven city, they all thought it was one of the grandest sights they had ever seen.

Everyone except Thorin, of course.

He turned back to Gandalf, fuming. "This was your plan all along: to seek refuge with our enemy," he said with an angry growl in his deep voice.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf said back. "The only ill will to be found in this Valley is that which you will bring yourself."

Thorin couldn't believe how serious Gandalf was about all of this. "You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing?" he questioned. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course, they will," Gandalf replied without a second thought, "but we have questions that need to be answered." Thorin continued to glare at him, but Gandalf knew what he was about to say would make him see reason. "And we have a member of our company who has gone missing. They can help us find her. Unless you can think of any better options…?"

That did it for Thorin, just as Gandalf suspected. The King sighed and hung his head, knowing the Grey wizard was right.

Having won the small debate, Gandalf said to him as they began their descent down the path to the city, "If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm…which is why you will leave the talking to me."

* * *

Back by the entrance to the hidden passage, the Elves had driven the Orc pack away and were scouting the area for any stragglers.

One of the soldiers found Aira leaning against the trunk of the tree clutching her injured side that was bleeding profusely. He noticed that she was a Dwarf, but gave no thought to it, seeing how badly she was hurt.

"My lord!" he cried out. "I found a female Dwarf. She's gravely injured."

Aira was unaware that these were Elves who were now approaching her. Even if she was, it wouldn't have mattered. Her head was spinning so much she couldn't think straight. The pain in her side was growing even more to where it was starting to numb her whole body. Her breathing became heavy and strenuous as she saw someone come up and kneel down in front of her.

The stranger was garbed in fine, elaborate armor and a sophisticated headdress adorned his brow. Whoever he was, he was clearly a person of great importance. His face appeared kind as he looked upon the poor, injured Dwarf woman.

"Are you all right, dear one? Can you move?" he asked her.

Aira sighed. "I don't know," she answered with a groan. "It hurts too much to try."

The man reached out pulled her coat and shirt back to examine her wound. It was then Aira noticed his pointed ears.

"You are an Elf," she stated.

The Elf looked back at her with a grin. "An excellent observation, young Airaním."

His response startled Aira and her body stiffened. "How do you know my name?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, my dear, there is much I know about you than just your name." That didn't make Aira any less tense about how he knew her. He could sense her nervousness and said to her, "Do not be afraid. I am Lord Elrond of Rivendell, I shall not harm you."

She had been right about this Elf being of great importance. And she recognized the name "Rivendell". "Is that where the underground passage leads to? The company I was with went down that way" Aira asked Elrond, gesturing with her head over to the stone ledge.

Elrond gave her a confirming nod. "And that is where we must take you immediately. Your wound is severe and must be tended to as soon as possible." He slipped her arm over his shoulders and stood up slowly and cautiously so as to not increase her pain.

Wincing, Aira said, confused, "But I am a Dwarf. Why are you helping me?"

"I give no thought to the petty hatred between your people and mine," he answered, which surprised Aira. "Nevertheless, regardless of race, I could never turn away from someone in need."

To Aira, this Elf certainly seemed different from anything Thorin had ever taught her about Elves. He was kind and compassionate to her. "I give you my sincerest thanks, Lord Elrond," she managed to say before groaning from the ever-growing throbbing in her side.

Quickly, yet carefully, Elrond and one of his soldiers helped lift her up onto his horse. Once he made sure she was comfortable and ready, he mounted his horse behind her. "Come, my dear," he said to her in a gentle tone. "I can assume your company has reached Rivendell by now and I'm sure they're quite worried about you."

He called out in Elvish to his soldiers and they began their trek back to Imladris.

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**On to Rivendell! :D**

**Thoughts? Comments? Review or PM me! :)**

**I will update as soon as I can!**


	15. Healing Entirely

**Finally, we're in Rivendell! :D**

**Thank you again to all my loyal reviewers, you know who you are :)**

**This chapter will be interesting in a couple of ways...hope it satisfies you all!**

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The company of Thorin Oakenshield soon came down from the mountain pass and warily crossed the bridge that entered into Rivendell. None of the Dwarves were too thrilled about being there, but Bilbo was quite excited about it. He had only heard the wonders of Rivendell in songs and tales. Never once did he think he would actually get to go to the city and see it for himself. Aside from the Shire, he believed it to be the most beautiful place in all Middle-Earth.

Seeing as there was no one around, Gandalf brought the company to a halt and suggested they wait for someone to come.

Kili began to pace back and forth. He only had one thing on his mind: Aira. He was worried about her. What had happened to her back by the pass? Why did she not follow them? More importantly, why hadn't he been there to protect her like he had promised?

"_She did tell me to get to safety and that she'd be right behind me,"_ he told himself. "_But even then I still should've been there."_

"Everything will be all right, Kili. We _will_ find her," he heard Fili say to him, who could easily see his distress.

"I know we will…it's just the manner in which we find her that I'm worried about," Kili replied.

"Don't talk like that. You were the one that once said you couldn't bear to think of anything happening to Aira. Don't start now."

"I should have stayed behind."

"Kili, you can't blame yourself. She told you to run and you did while she stayed behind. It was her choice; she made it willingly."

"But she's mine to protect, Fili, whether she knows it or not. I should've been there."

"You forget she is also mine and Thorin's to protect. We love her just as much as you."

"I don't the way you two do…," Kili admitted softly, lowering his gaze.

Fili wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and gently nudged him. "I know," he said with a look of care and understanding. "But, all the same, we all still love her. We feel the same obligations to her as you do. You are not alone, brother."

Kili put an arm around Fili's shoulders in the same manner and said, "Where would I be without you, brother?"

The Dwarves all then looked up to see a tall, brunette male Elf descending down the stairs in front of them. "Mithrandir," he said, calling Gandalf by his Elven name.

"Lindir," Gandalf answered as the Elf placed his hand over his chest and then held it out towards him as a sign of welcome.

Thorin leaned over to Dwalin and whispered, "Stay sharp," as Lindir came down and said something to Gandalf in Elvish.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond," said the wizard.

"My Lord Elrond is not here," Lindir answered rather smugly. It was clear that he wasn't quite enthusiastic about a company of Dwarves suddenly arriving in Rivendell.

Gandalf looked at him curiously. "Not here? Where is he?"

Before Lindir could answer, they heard the sound of an Elven horn in the distance, signaling the Lord of Rivendell's arrival. The company turned around to see a battalion of Elven soldiers riding across the bridge towards them. Naturally, the Dwarves all reacted by drawing their weapons and holding them at the ready at the approaching Elves.

"_Ifridî bekâr"_ Thorin called out in Khuzdul, which meant "Ready weapons". He brought up his battle axe and commanded, "Close ranks!"

The company all huddled close together with Bilbo right in the middle for protection. The Elves began to encircle them with their horses, going around and around.

Just then, Bilbo noticed that one of Elves had someone with them on their horse. The figure was hunched over a little, but Bilbo could see a very familiar head of curly, red-auburn hair.

"They found Aira!" he exclaimed.

The Dwarves all perked up and saw that the leader indeed did have Aira with him. Unfortunately, they took it entirely wrong. They only started growling and snarling at the Elves even more, looking furious. They thought the Elves had her as their prisoner and would not stand for it.

Elrond stopped his men and turned to the wizard. "Gandalf!" he called out gladly. He dismounted his horse and both he and Gandalf exchanged a few words in Elvish that no one in the company understood. He handed a sword to Lindir before turning back to his horse. "I do believe this young female belongs to you and your company, does she not?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, she does, and we intend to take her back," snapped Thorin.

Elrond took no notice of his bitterness. Instead he looked at him calmly and said, "Airaním has sustained a serious wound from an Orc blade and her injury will need immediate attention."

He motioned for Lindir to come to him and help ease Aira off of his horse. His right-hand obeyed and they both carefully slipped Aira out of the saddle. She hadn't said a word and was rather pale in the face. Her eyes hung low and tired. Elrond gave Lindir a command in Elvish and Lindir began to guide Aira away.

Thorin and the Dwarves all stepped forward uneasily.

"She has lost much blood and is weak as of now," said Elrond, holding up a hand to the Dwarves to reassure them, "but she will be all right. She will be taken to the Healing Rooms to be tended to."

The Dwarves only looked slightly less hostile towards Elrond but said nothing. They only watched as Lindir walked by, carrying Aira's limp body in his arms, with a couple other Elves with him. Aira seemed unresponsive and on the edge of unconsciousness and the company, despite their innate worry, were at least relieved to know she was still alive.

Elrond turned to Gandalf. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders," he said to him. "Something or someone has drawn them near."

"Oh, that may have been us," Gandalf answered.

Thorin then stepped forward as both the wizard and the Elf Lord looked to him.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," Elrond said politely.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin said, doing his best to keep his resentment contained.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled Under the Mountain."

"Indeed? He made no mention of _you_." Thorin didn't last long in not being so untoward with Elrond.

He was silent and the company wondered if he was going to say something back. Instead, he began speaking in Elvish to Thorin and everyone began growing aggressive again.

"What is he saying?" growled Gloin. "Does he offer us insult?"

To calm the Dwarves down, Gandalf answered, "No, Master Gloin, he is offering you food!"

Upon hearing this, they all gathered together and whispered to each other about whether or not to accept. Of course, being Dwarves, it did not take long for them to reach a decision.

"Well, in that case, lead on!" Gloin said, now a little more polite.

Lord Elrond gave a small nod to the company. "It will take a little time to prepare and, while that is being done, I shall attend to your female companion."

Kili finally spoke up, his worry evident in the way he asked, "Will she be all right?"

"Lord Elrond is quite skilled in the ways of healing," Gandalf answered him. "You could not trust Aira with anyone better; she is in very capable hands." With his last comment, he turned his gaze to Thorin, hoping to convince him.

Both Thorin and Kili seemed content with Gandalf's response.

To add to that, Elrond said to the company in general, "Worry not, Master Dwarves. When my work with Aira is through, she should be well enough to join you tonight."

With a wave of his hand, he led them all up the stairs and into the city.

* * *

_There was the sound of a troll's laughter._

_Kili came rushing in, heroically swinging his sword and looking fierce._

_As his face appeared, his voice echoing from the past spoke, "You do know I'm always here for you…I will always see you as my best and closest friend…."_

_Then the song they sang back in Bag End was heard, "Blunt the knives, bend the forks…chip the glasses and crack the plates, that's what Bilbo Baggins hates…."_

_The song was cut off by a loud, guttural roar._

_Thorin's voice, soon followed by the image of his face, full of anger: "I am not the one who deserted their family in the middle of the night and ran off into the wild, chasing adolescent dreams in search of adventure like a foolish child!"_

_A flash of white and evil, piercing eyes._

_Fili's kind voice: "You are my sister and I mean that!"_

_Then Bofur: "I'm very glad you're here with us…the world could use more genuine people like you…."_

_A Warg's growl._

_The clashing of swords. _

_The whiz of an arrow._

_Fili and Kili's faces came into view._

_A female voice: "We will protect each other…."_

_The leader of the Orc-pack was approaching as he snarled, "Snaga…!"_

_Everything then began to spin so fast as a melodic voice began to sing, "Close to home, feeling so far away…."_

_A horrible scream._

_Thorin's voice calling out, dreadfully:_

"_AIRA!"_

* * *

Aira gasped as she suddenly jerked awake, the many voices and sounds she heard still echoing in her ears. It had been but a dream; a vision of events past, some good and some bad. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She remembered arriving in Rivendell then being taken to the Healing Rooms and then that was when everything had gone dark.

It was then she realized the large, brightly lit room she was in. The light of the evening sun was shining through the windows onto her satin, cream-colored bed. Different designs of nature and Elven caricatures were carved and imprinted in the walls and pillars of the room. The bed she was in was soft and the most comfortable one she'd slept in for a long time.

Aira also noticed that she was no longer in her own clothes. Instead she was now wearing a thin white singlet made of satin. As she sat up, there was a sharp sting in her side and she flinched from it.

"Oh, good, you are awake."

Startled, Aira's head whipped around to see where the voice had come from and found, seated in a chair next to her bed, a very familiar, grey-bearded face.

"Gandalf!" she quietly exclaimed.

He gave her a warm smile. "Welcome back, my dear."

She sat upright. "The company…," she said, her eyes now wide with concern, "did they make it here safely?"

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, we arrived just shortly before you and Lord Elrond did."

Aira sighed, relieved.

"What you did was very brave, Aira," the wizard continued. "Such a shame you had to suffer an injury for it."

She just shrugged. "What good is a brave act if you don't get a decent battle wound out of it?" she asked with a light chuckle, trying to keep her enthusiasm.

Gandalf chuckled as well. Then he told her, "The Dwarves have been frantic with worry about you, especially the Oakenshields'. They've been practically demanding when they can come see you."

Aira nodded. She had expected that. She would be very happy to see Fili and Kili, of course. However, it was the first Oakenshield that she was not entirely looking forward to seeing.

"You will speak with him, won't you?"

She looked back to Gandalf, knowing that he knew what was on her mind. She sighed again. "Why should I, Gandalf?" she asked, shaking her head. "Everything that needed to be said between us has been said. All unspoken words have been voiced. There is nothing more I have to say to him."

"You would give up so easily on him?"

"He's given up on _me_, so I don't see why not."

"Thorin may be as stubborn as Dwarves go, but he truly cares for you. He did not mean any of the things he said to you."

Aira just scoffed. "I find that hard to believe. If Thorin really does care about me and didn't mean any of those things, then he would not have said any of that in the first place."

Gandalf eyebrows rose in surprise. "This is not like you, Airaním," he stated. "The Aira I know would fight as hard as she could to keep her family relationships strong and alive."

"Well, perhaps I've realized I've been fighting long enough," Aira replied quickly, giving Gandalf a hard look. "You have no idea how deep Thorin's words hurt me, Gandalf. I wanted _so_ much to believe that what I did all those years ago could be forgiven and forgotten, but I was wrong and I should've known better. Thorin Oakenshield does not forgive and forget so easily. I saw the fire in his eyes when he said those harsh things to me. I realize now that I have been fighting for a relationship that died the moment I rode from the gates of Ered Luin." She turned her face away, feeling her eyes watering with tears.

Gandalf heaved a sigh, feeling pity for the Dwarf woman. She was suffering emotionally just as much as she was physically; not only did she have a wounded body, but she had a wounded heart, too. Thorin's words had impacted her more than he had thought.

"You know you cannot avoid him forever," he said to her, causing her to look back at him. He could see a light trail of tears falling down her cheeks. "And you should know that, between him and his nephews, Thorin has been the most insistent on seeing you once you were awake. If he really meant everything he said to you before, like you believe he does, I do not think he would be so adamant about seeing you."

Aira turned away, brushing the tears from her face. She supposed that Gandalf was right; why would Thorin want to see her so much if his harsh words to her were true? She didn't know what to do or think. She wanted to believe what Gandalf said, but another part inside her continued to tell her still that Thorin had lied to her.

"You appear to be doing better," said a deep voice.

Aira looked up to see Elrond entering the room, now wearing gold royal robes and giving her a welcoming grin.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Lady Airaním," he said pleasantly.

She felt herself blush. "Thank you, Lord Elrond, but you can call me 'Aira'. I really don't think the title of 'Lady' is a worthy title for me."

Elrond gave her a smirk and a quick raise of his eyebrows. "I know that you are considered a Princess back in Ered Luin. I think that 'Lady' is a rather ordinary title for you."

She smiled.

"Lord Elrond has used the best Elvish healing methods on your wound," Gandalf explained to Aira. "You are on the mend now. It will take time, however, for your wound to heal enough before we can do anything else."

"How much time?" Aira asked.

Elrond answered, "A week, at most. Your injury was deep and will require that amount of time at most to heal enough."

"_Oh, dear, that will put us behind on the quest,"_ Aira thought to herself. But, to appear content, Aira responded, "I suppose I can manage a week."

"I have no doubt that you can," said Elrond. "I know what you have been through. You have suffered worse than this before."

Aira stiffened up. He was doing it again and it made her hesitant. "How do you know so much about me?" she asked nervously.

"I see many things throughout Middle-Earth, young one," he answered. "There are very few things that do not go unseen or unheard by my eyes and ears. I remember learning of a young female Dwarf being captured by Orcs years ago and I became quite curious."

"You know of that…?"

Elrond nodded. "It was a terrible ordeal you went through and I am truly sorry for that. I know that and more about you. I know you grew up without a mother. I know of the loss of your father and that you were placed in the care of Thorin Oakenshield. I know how he has raised you well and that his nephews are your closest friends."

Aira just gave a nod of her head.

"I also know that you have feelings for the younger of the two."

Her head shot back up, shocked at what he had just said.

He continued, "Your feelings for him are strong; stronger than you realize. You try to deny it, but in your heart, you know that it's true."

Her thoughts wandered to Kili, picturing his handsome face, his brown eyes, his illuminating smile, his long dark hair…and she felt her heart begin to beat a little faster. Honestly, she had never fully realized that perhaps she _did_ suddenly have feelings for him. She remembered all the times she felt herself blush when Kili said or did something charming, even though that was never new. Her mind drifted back to when he had massaged her back and how she had slept in his arms that night without a second thought. They had slept like that before growing up when they had gone out on hunts or if they were just talking before bed and ended up falling asleep, but something about that time felt different. She remembered thinking she could've stayed like that forever. She knew she had always cared about him, but now she realized that it was more than just as a best friend. Perhaps now it was even more than just caring for him. He would always be her best friend, but now he was more than that in her eyes.

"_How did I never see that before?"_ Aira wondered. She couldn't quite figure out when the sudden change of feelings for Kili had occurred, but the point was that it had happened and now she knew it for certain.

But what was she going to do now? Should she tell him?

"Will you ever tell him?" Gandalf asked as if he could read her mind.

Aira shifted nervously. "I don't know…," she answered.

"I think it would be wise if you did," Elrond told her.

"Think about it, Aira," Gandalf added, "you could have been killed back by the Hidden Pass. If that had been your fate, the young Prince would've never known the truth. I must agree with Lord Elrond: Kili deserves to know."

Aira glanced at Gandalf and then to Elrond. "Does he feel the same? Do you know?" she asked him.

Elrond simply gazed back at her as he replied, "Whether I know or not, it is not my place to reveal such a truth. That is between you and the young heir of Durin."

Aira had a feeling that he would not be able to tell her, but she figured it was worth a try.

She thought about Kili again and reflected on Gandalf's words. He was right, she could've died and Kili never would have known how she really felt about him. Had her life been spared to give her a second chance; to actually tell him the truth? Perhaps that was it!

"_But what if he doesn't feel the same?"_ she thought to herself. "_What if he meant what he said; that he would always see me as his best and closest friend and that's all I'll ever be to him, nothing more?"_

But she still thought of what Gandalf and Elrond had told her: he deserved to know the truth. She had almost lost the chance to tell him earlier that day.

"_Well…I suppose I'll never know until I try. We do have a whole week in this place."_

* * *

Soon, Gandalf and Elrond decided to leave Aira in peace so she could rest a little longer before dinner, seeing as she mostly seemed to be feeling well enough. Elrond informed her that there were dresses she could choose from in a wardrobe in the corner of the room when she awoke.

As Gandalf opened the door, he found Thorin seated on a chair outside with his arms folded across his chest and his expression looking very rigid and impatient. His gaze quickly shot up as the door was opened and he gave Gandalf an inquiring look.

Gandalf understood him perfectly. Despite what Aira had said to him and despite her wishes, the wizard knew that she had to see the Dwarf King and reconcile with him. He was not going to let her give up on Thorin so easily. When Gandalf received his look, he gave him an approving nod as he and Lord Elrond left the room.

Aira remained in her bed and was now looking out the window with her back to the door. She heard Elrond and Gandalf leave, but didn't hear the door shut, which seemed a little odd.

"Aira?"

Immediately she cursed Gandalf in her head for knowingly letting him in when the wizard knew full well that she didn't want to see him. Nevertheless, she allowed herself to turn around and meet the wide gaze of the Dwarf King's deep blue eyes that stared at her.

Then he very quickly moved over to the bed, placed himself down on it and threw his arms tightly around her, clutching her so close that she lost her breath for a split second.

"Oh, thank the gods, you're all right!" Thorin gasped in her ear. He pulled away and looked intently into Aira's eyes. "I was so worried about you."

Aira gave a small bob of her head and looked down at her hands, not wanting to look at him. "Lord Elrond healed me and I am doing better," she said to him.

Thorin's eyes darted back and forth from her face to his hands over and over. The moment between them was definitely feeling awkward and he, for once, had no idea what to do. Finally he asked shyly, "How much time did he say you would need for your wound to heal enough?"

"A week, at most."

"That will delay our quest a little…but it doesn't matter. We will wait as long as we must for you to heal."

Aira just looked away again.

Thorin, noticing her refrain from speaking to him, lifted her chin up gently with his hands and gazed longingly into her sad, brown eyes. "Aira…I am so sorry for what I said before," he said to her softly. "I don't know what possessed me to say such words to you."

Aira held up a hand to stop him from talking. "That's just it, Thorin," she said. "You think they are just words. A simple 'I'm sorry' and you can move on. That is not enough, not this time."

Thorin pulled his hand away and continued to sadly stare at her, afraid of what she was going to say.

"What you said to me hurt more than anything I have ever suffered and those words coming from you made it even worse," Aira said in a piercing tone of voice. "They cut deeper in me than this wound I now have."

She paused as her eyes welled up with tears now and she fought her best to keep them back. "You have no idea how much I wanted to come home these last few years, but couldn't," she said, her voice cracking. "You have no idea how much I needed you, Thorin. When I was reunited with you and your nephews at Bag-End and all three of you told me that you were never mad about my leaving, I was relieved and I truly felt like I was home again. But when you then turn around and scream at me how I am a foolish child and I abandoned my family, I don't know what to believe is true and it makes my heart hurt."

Thorin's eyes looked down in shame. "I never wanted to hurt you, Aira," he said softly. "That is something I would never do intentionally."

When Aira didn't answer, he lifted his head and found her just watching him with sad, tear-filled eyes. One single tear had escaped and had trailed down her cheek.

She moved her head slightly. "I wish to believe that, Thorin…I really do…but it's not enough for me this time."

A disheartened sigh fell from Thorin's lips. He didn't know what else to do. "What can I do to make you believe me…?"

Aira shook her head. "I don't know…," she answered.

They held their gaze for a moment. Thorin's eyes were pleading with her to believe he regretted what he did. Aira's were full of pain that pierced Thorin to his soul; a pain that he had caused and could not so easily rectify. He felt lost.

"I need to rest," Aira finally said, turning away and signaling that their discussion was over.

Thorin got her message loud and clear and got up from the edge of the bed, despite how much he wanted to stay. He should've known it wouldn't have been easy, trying to apologize to Aira. He had done so much damage and repairing it wasn't going to be as simple as he thought. As he moved towards the door, Thorin turned back to look at Aira, who's back was facing him. His mouth opened slightly as he wanted to say something, but he held back, knowing it wouldn't do him any good to try. He hung his head low, feeling worse than he did when he had come to her at the start, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

After hearing his muffled footsteps fade away, Aira began to cry silently until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

_Aira found herself back in Bag End, standing in the foyer of the house. She looked around and saw the other Dwarves all sitting around drinking ale or just conversing. Then, to her surprise, she saw herself sitting by the fire and she jumped. How could she see herself? Then she remembered that was what she had been doing back on the day they had all arrived at Bag-End to discuss the quest._

_She heard footsteps down the hall. Aira moved from the room to the hallways and looked to see Bilbo walking the opposite direction. In front of her was Balin sitting on a bench against one wall to her left and Thorin standing on the opposite side. The both of them were watching Bilbo walk away, too. _

"_It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best," Balin pointed out. _

_Aira stood there in the threshold and watched them. Because she had been in the other room at this point in the evening, she had not heard this conversation between Balin and Thorin. She was curious about what had been said and was also wondering why she was seeing this._

_Thorin turned and looked at Balin, his eyes bright with curiosity at what he was trying to say._

"_The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toy-makers…," Balin said and then gave a light scoff. "Hardly the stuff of legend."_

"_There are a few warriors amongst us," Thorin said with an encouraging smile to the older Dwarf._

_Even though he was appreciative of Thorin's words, Balin just shook his head. "Old warriors," he stated._

"_I would take each and every one of these Dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills," Thorin declared with a boldness of voice, "for when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart…I can ask no more than that."_

_Balin stood up from the bench he was sitting on. "You don't have to do this," he said. "You have a choice. You have done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains; a life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."_

_Thorin gazed at his old friend in wonder, touched by what he said; his confidence and faith in him. But there was still the burning fire inside him that would not be so easily extinguished, telling him that he had to do this no matter what. _

_His hand reached into his pocket, pulled out his father's key, held it up to Balin and said, "From my grandfather to my father this has come to me. They dreamt of the day when the Dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland."_

_Balin just gave him a nod, knowing that Thorin wouldn't be so persuaded against having second thoughts._

"_I am not just doing this for myself, Balin," Thorin said to him as he put the key back into his pocket. "This quest is not just for my grandfather or my father; to fulfill what they dreamt of. I am doing this for Fili, Kili and Airaním."_

_Taken aback, Aira's eyebrows lifted and she took a step closer to better hear what Thorin was going to say._

_The Dwarf King then said, "They may not have lived in Erebor as we once did, but I feel that they have a right to it. It is their rightful home, same as ours. They are the heirs of Durin and they deserve to live in a kingdom worthy of those of such a noble bloodline."_

_Balin sat himself back down. "I'm glad that you accepted Aira that way, as a Princess; as nobility. Not only did you take her in into your home, but you took her into your heart, your family, your legacy." _

_Thorin smiled and nodded. "While the death of Rimedur was a tragedy, it was also a blessing in disguise. Taking in his daughter was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me and my family. She has strength, courage and honor enough to be like those of Durin's line. I knew she belonged with us after caring for her for only a short time."_

"_She certainly couldn't have been placed in the care of a greater guardian, laddie."_

"_Thank you, Balin. Aira may be wild like my nephews, at times, and a little reckless, but still she knows her place."_

"_Reckless, how?"_

"_Her sudden disappearance thirty years ago."_

"_Ah, yes. That was a bit reckless on her part."_

_Aira could feel herself beginning to frown. Maybe she didn't want to know where this conversation was going._

_But Thorin then said, "I cannot say I blame her for it."_

_Her ears perked up again._

_He went on, "There was more I could've done for her that would've kept her from leaving the way she did. I understand her reasons, I always have."_

"_Most parents or guardians would not be as understanding as you are."_

"_We both know that I am not like most guardians," said Thorin with a grin._

"_You were never angry with her, then?" Balin asked._

_Thorin shook his head. "I will admit that perhaps she could've handled the situation differently, but really, Aira did nothing wrong. I can't be angry with her for that and there is nothing she did that has need of my forgiveness. I have a feeling she expects that from me. I intend to tell her so later tonight; I know she needs that closure."_

_Standing up again and laying a hand on Thorin's arm, Balin told him, "That would indeed be wise."_

_Thorin looked down at Balin proudly. "Aira is a part of my family; my heiress, just as my sister-sons are my heirs. The three of them are of great importance to me and, even though they have lived lives of peace and plenty in Ered Luin, I feel they deserve more. I want them to see the glory of Erebor that I once knew restored. And I know they want that, as well, or else they would not have come." Then his voice hushed close to a whisper, "So there is no choice, Balin. Not for me."_

_Balin nodded. "Then we are with you, laddie," he said kindly. The Dwarf King smiled down at his councilor as the older Dwarf gave him a pat on the arm and said, "We will see it done."_

_Thorin's face suddenly turned and looked at Aira and, for a moment, she almost swore he could see her. But as he did so, her vision began to grow cloudy and she saw nothing more, the last thing she saw being the soft, penetrating and caring blue eyes of Thorin Oakenshield, her beloved guardian._

* * *

Her eyes drifted open and she found herself looking at the door to her room. It was still brightly lit from the sun shining through the window behind her, so she supposed she hadn't been asleep for too long.

As she sat up from her soft pillow, Aira couldn't stop reflecting on the vision she had just seen. All she could do was remember everything she heard Thorin say about his reasons for this quest and about her. Her heart was thumping madly against her chest she actually placed her hand over where she could feel her heartbeat to keep it from beating out of her body.

She had been wrong. She had been so wrong about Thorin! He had never lied to her about forgiving what she had done after all. Thinking back to the argument they had had before his outburst, she realized that perhaps all the hurtful things he had said to her really were just out of frustration and anger about her bringing up his stubbornness.

"_There really was no truth to his words…,"_ Aira finally recognized. Just then she felt an immense feeling of guilt. He had tried to make amends and she didn't give him the chance he deserved.

"I've been living with Thorin Oakenshield for far too long," she said out loud. "I'm becoming as stubborn as he is!"

Gandalf had been right. All Thorin had ever done was care for her and what she had seen in her vision was proof of that. And, all this time, _she _had been the blind one in all of this.

No longer being able to stay put, Aira jumped from her bed and started rummaging through the wardrobe to find a suitable dress for dinner, still thinking about her vision and all the things Gandalf had said, determined to make things right.

The wizard had also told her that the Aira he knew would fight her hardest to keep her family relationships strong and alive.

And that was exactly what she was going to do.

.

**Hope you liked this one! :)**

**The dinner scene is up next...and it will be something to look forward to, that I can promise you! ;)**

**Reviews and PM's are welcome, as always!**


	16. The Music of Dwarves

**Oh boy, oh boy, I cannot even begin to describe how excited and giddy I am about this chapter!**

**First off, I want to dedicate this to one of my loyal readers and reviewers: ZabuzasGirl. She has helped me with ideas for this one the most and she is just super amazing! This whole chapter is very special to both of us.**

**This chapter is a very musical one and so I have included links (or part of them, I guess) to YouTube videos where you can hear the songs that will be included. (Most of them, care of ZabuzasGirl!)**

**The first one is instrumental...a certain character will play a certain instrument, I won't say who or what...you have to read to find out ;) Once you get to that part, you can listen to get the feel for it ( watch?v=vVNj73XcPQw)**

**Second one: not quite sure what it's called and it's actually in Japanese, but the tune is beautiful and the English lyrics are what have been used (go to 16:07) ( watch?v=1uqP349ekVw)**

**Third one: "Confessions of a Broken Heart" by Lindsay Lohan. Some of the lyrics have been changed to fit for the purpose of this story and hopefully you'll still like it. Warning: the video's kinda sad ( watch?v=1yJqDTSufBE)**

**Fourth one: actually two songs; a combination of Misty Mountains, which I'm sure you're all familiar with, and...well, the other part, I'll leave as a surprise ;D but here's the link to the second part anyway ( watch?v=JnEG5qrdhME)**

**I'm sure that seems like a lot but trust me, it's all worth it :)**

.

Outside in one of the many foyers of Rivendell, dinner was being served to the company. As they all gathered in, a few Elves had their harps and flutes out and began to play some soothing, welcoming music. The Dwarves were anticipating what had been prepared for them to eat.

However, their excitement was not to last when they realized all there was on the tables were a bunch of vegetables and different green foods. Their grins turned upside down at the sight.

Ori was messing with a piece of lettuce and staring at it.

"Try it," Dori told him. "Just a mouthful."

Ori shook his head. "I don't like green food," he stated, tossing the lettuce back onto his plate.

Across the table, Oin was looking at his vegetables in disgust and Dwalin was rummaging through the bowls of lettuce and asking, "Where's the meat?"

"Have they got any chips?" Ori asked, glancing up and down the table.

Fili and Kili, like everyone else, just poked and prodded at their food. "How could the Elves seriously think we'd eat this rubbish?" Fili mumbled.

Both of them were more concerned about Thorin than their food. They knew he had gone off earlier to try and see Aira again and he hadn't said a word since he came back. Their uncle appeared rather down and discouraged. He still wasn't even saying anything while Elrond was telling him about the sword he had obtained from the troll-hoard. His nephews figured he had been able to see Aira, but things hadn't gone well.

"Where is Aira?" Kili asked his brother after waiting for a little bit of time. "I thought Elrond said she'd be joining us."

"Maybe she's not quite feeling up to it," Fili guessed.

"Well, you would be wrong, my dear Fili."

Fili and Kili spun around at the sound of her voice behind them. All other heads turned her direction as she approached from behind a pillar. To them, Aira had never looked better.

Her hair had been re-done and it looked neat. She was dressed in a long, forest green dress with gold and silver ribbons weaved in the collar and the cuffs of her sleeves as well as the belt around her waist. The color in her face had returned and she was smiling gladly at her companions; she looked much better than she had when they had arrived. She certainly was a sight for sore eyes.

The two young Dwarves in front of her both jumped up and gathered their friend into their arms, thankful to see her after a few long, painful hours and relieved to see that she was well. When the three of them pulled apart, the rest of the company all cheered, feeling just as happy to see her.

Both Fili and Kili led Aira to a seat where she sat in between them.

"You shouldn't have bothered to come out here," Kili told her. "There's nothing for us to eat!"

Aira laughed at his complaining, which was music to Fili and Kili's ears.

She heard someone call her name. Aira's head turned to see Bilbo getting up from his chair next to Balin and making his way over in her direction, a happy grin on his face.

"Bilbo!" she exclaimed as he came over and embraced her warmly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She grinned and replied, "Just peachy!"

"I'm very sorry you got hurt. That's awful!"

"Oh, it's all right. I'm alive and that's what matters, right?"

Bilbo gave her a cheerful nod.

Aira shifted around so she was now facing Bilbo. "You know, I just realized I've never gotten to properly thank you for what you did when we faced the trolls. You, Bilbo Baggins, are a brilliant Hobbit for thinking of stalling those brutes and buying us time! You really helped save our lives!"

The Hobbit blushed a little and shook his head. "No, you did more in saving our lives than I did with that lovely voice of yours."

"Oh, nonsense! I don't think I would've even thought of stalling if you hadn't. If it wasn't for you, none of us would be here." Aira reached up and gave Bilbo another friendly hug. He thanked her, told her it was good to see her and then returned to his seat.

Her eyes looked up and caught Thorin's gaze. It was hard to discern what the feeling in his face was, whether it was pain, distress or even relief. He seemed a little glad, at least, to see that she had still come to join them, but there was still a pleading look in his eyes as they held their gaze. Aira's heart wrenched again just seeing that earnest emotion in his piercing eyes and she knew it was because of her they looked that way. She then realized how he must have been feeling all this time when he looked at her and could see the pain in _her_ eyes that _he_ had caused. In that moment, Aira just wanted to run to Thorin, embrace him and tell him how sorry she was for not giving him the chance to apologize and that he was forgiven for everything.

Thorin then broke their gaze and turned away to look at something else. He was actually looking at the harp that an Elf woman was playing behind where Gandalf was sitting across from him. He too knew how to play the harp and listening to the soft, melodic tunes being played on it reminded him of all the times he used to play his own harp back home in the Lonely Mountain or back in the Blue Mountains. Many would not think of the harp as something a Dwarf would play due to their large hands, but Thorin proved any who doubted wrong. The feel of the thin strings of the instrument on his hands and between his fingers was one of the few things that continued to bring him contentment in life.

As he watched the she-Elf who was playing the harp, something inside him longed to play it himself. It was a strong urge and he decided that, despite the fact it was an Elven harp, he would ask. Thorin stood up from his chair, set his sword down, which he found out was called Orcrist or the "Goblin Cleaver", and walked over to the Elf woman.

"May I?" he asked politely, gesturing to her instrument.

She didn't stop playing, but gave him an odd look. "Do you play?" she asked a bit curtly.

Thorin expected such a reaction and just responded, "Indeed, I do."

The Elf looked hesitantly to Lord Elrond as if she was wondering if she should let him play.

Elrond raised his hands, signaling his minstrels to cease their playing and they quickly obeyed. "I believe the King Under the Mountain wishes to grant us the opportunity of hearing him play a tune on the harp," he said with a pleasant tone. He gave a motion to the Elf-woman behind the harp, telling her it was all right to let the Dwarf use it. Reluctantly, she stood up and let Thorin take her spot.

When they realized the music had ended, all the members of the company had turned their heads in Elrond's direction and when they heard him announce that Thorin was going to play them something on the harp, they all became rather anxious and excited. All of them, with the exception of Bilbo, had heard Thorin play before and they knew of his musical ability.

Thorin sat himself upon the stool by the harp, fidgeted with it a bit to get comfortable and readied himself, placing his hands in the appropriate positions for what he was preparing to play.

His hands started to move so fluidly with the strings as he began his song. The moment the first couple notes were played, everyone, including Elrond, Gandalf and even the other Elves that were present, was paying attention.

The song was played at a nice, even tempo. It started off a little low and picked up after a few seconds. Each note flowed effortlessly to the next, blending beautifully together in different rhythms and going up and down nicely in pitch.

The sound of it was so serene; it calmed everyone's spirits almost immediately. Everyone in the company watched their leader and King in admiration. His eyes had closed and he looked so calm and at peace as his hands continued to flow across the harp strings. Everyone marveled at his musical talent and just how natural it came to him.

To their dismay, Thorin's song was short and he soon ended on a very pleasant fading note. Everyone there was amazed at what he had just done and applauded and cheered. Even a couple Elves couldn't help but clap, as well.

"Well done, laddie!" Dwalin cried out.

"Bravo!" said Dori.

"You haven't lost your touch, Uncle!" added Fili.

Thorin graciously bowed his head to the company.

"Play another!" Ori suggested merrily.

Thorin shook his head. "I should not," he replied. "Although there is someone else in the company who is just as skilled with the harp as I who can play for you. That is...if she's willing to."

Aira knew all eyes were on her within seconds. It was true; she did know how to play the harp. Naturally, Thorin had been the one to teach her at a young age. She had heard him play something once long ago and immediately she wanted to learn to play like he did.

She gave Thorin a smile, which made his eyebrows raise a little. "I would most certainly be willing to," she replied with optimism.

As she stood up, she felt Fili give her a pat on the back and Kili a gentle nudge on the shoulder.

"Aye, there's a good lass!" said Balin, softly touching her arm as she passed.

"You should sing, too!" cried Bofur.

Aira couldn't help but laugh. These Dwarves loved her voice maybe a little too much! "All right, just something quick," she told them.

As she approached, Thorin stood up and bowed his head to her, offering her the seat. He still avoided looking at her as he moved back to his own chair and Aira sat herself down.

She closed her eyes, thinking of a song she could play and sing and, in a matter of seconds, she had one. Her hands, like Thorin's, moved smoothly across the strings of the harp, playing a light tune and she began to sing:

_Listen carefully and you may hear it._

_The winds carrying a calling from the past._

_Move forward._

_It's there, the tranquil faith._

_Prayers pass through time and my promises are fulfilled._

_Take a deep breath_

_And the distant souls will call out._

_Call out._

Her song ended quickly as she said it would and she could see the slight disappointment mixed with the apparent awe in the company's eyes. Nonetheless, they all cheered and clapped for her happily.

Aira looked to Elrond and he seemed quite impressed. He gave her a nod of approval as he applauded her.

But then Aira caught Thorin's gaze again, but only briefly. There was a look of pride in his face, but he quickly turned away. Aira knew he was still hurting and she could see it was painful for him to even look at her anymore, not only because he felt ashamed for being harsh with her but also because he thought Aira would never forgive him for it.

Just then, an idea came to her mind that would help change that.

Aira turned to Elrond and asked, "If I may, Lord Elrond, may I perhaps do another song?"

Elrond raised his arms and replied, "By all means."

Now all eyes were looking at her curiously, wondering what she was going to do now.

Aira took a deep breath before saying out loud, "I want to offer this song to someone very close to me; someone whom I know has only ever wanted the best for me and loved me through everything, good and bad. Not only did he take me in into his home, but he took me into his heart and knew I belonged with him and his family from the beginning."

She turned her gaze to Thorin who was staring at her wide-eyed and surprised. A hint of comprehension could be seen in his expression as well as he began to take in what she was talking about.

She never looked away from him as she continued, "I am a stubborn Dwarf like many and I know I get that from him. I have realized recently that, because of that trait, I caused him as much pain, if not even more, as he did once to me and my sin is worse than his. All I want now is to end the pain for both of us. This is for Thorin, son of Thrain, King Under the Mountain; my beloved guardian and father-figure."

There were tears forming in Aira's eyes, but she held them back as she started playing on the harp again, this time playing a tune that was a little faster and a bit more melancholy-sounding than the last one. She closed her eyes and the words began to flow from her lips, straight from her heart,

_I wait for the messenger to bring me a letter,  
And I wait for the Valar to make me feel better.  
And I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders,  
Family in crisis that only grows older._

_Why'd I have to go?_  
_Why'd I have to go?_  
_Why'd I have to go?_

_Daughter to father, daughter to father._  
_I am broken, but I am hoping._  
_Daughter to father, daughter to father._  
_I am crying, a part of me's dying,_  
_And these are, these are_  
_The confessions of a broken heart._

_And I wear all your old armor, your fur and leather,_  
_I dream of another you, one who would never_  
_Never, leave me alone to pick up the pieces._  
_Father to hold me, that's what I needed._

_So, why'd I have to go?_  
_Why'd I have to go?_  
_Why'd I have to go?_

_Daughter to father, daughter to father._  
_I don't know you, but I still want to._  
_Daughter to father, daughter to father._  
_Tell me the truth, can you forgive me?_  
_Because these are, these are_  
_The confessions of a broken heart._  
_Of a broken heart._

_I love you,_  
_I love you._  
_I love you,_  
_I love you._

_Daughter to father, daughter to father._  
_I don't know you, but I still want to._  
_Daughter to father, daughter to father._  
_Tell me the truth, can you forgive me?_  
_Can you forgive me?_  
_These are the confessions of a broken heart._

By the end of the song, Aira could barely see. Her eyes were overflowing with sorrowful tears. To her, it was a wonder she was able to continue playing with her clouded vision. For a brief moment, she didn't dare look at anyone. But then she lifted her eyes and saw that there was not a dry eye to be found amongst the company. Everyone had shed a few tears, having been incredibly moved by her melody. Even Dwalin had a tear or two running down into his beard.

Elrond and Gandalf, she saw, did not have wet eyes, but it was clear in their faces as they shared a glance that they too were touched by her song.

At last, Aira looked to Thorin and could immediately feel her eyes welling up again. Even _he_ had cried during her song for his face and beard was just soaked with his tears. From what she could recall, Aira had never seen Thorin shed a tear ever!

Along with that, there was nothing but love and compassion in his expression as a happy smile of absolute relief crossed his tear-stained face.

Finally, neither of them could hold back. Thorin stood up and held out his open arms to her and Aira jumped up and threw herself into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and wept. Thorin rested his head in the crook of her neck and began stroking her hair. Both of them just held each other tightly, not caring about anyone else around them.

"It's over now, sweetheart," Thorin whispered in Aira's ear before placing a firm kiss on her temple through her hair.

Aira tightened her hold around his waist in response. No other words were needed then.

Over at the end of the table, Fili and Kili both looked at each other with gladness. The rest of the group did also with each other. They all knew at least that things had been bad between Aira and Thorin lately and to see now that they had made things right with each other, they were all greatly touched and couldn't keep back their own emotions at such a sweet sight.

The two of them pulled apart after a long moment. Thorin gazed into Aira's brown eyes and felt his heart lift at what he saw. They were no longer burdened with sorrow or pain; only unconcealed joy.

His prayer from back in the Hidden Pass had been answered; he and his dear ward now had their second chance.

"_Thank you,"_ he thought to the heavens above.

It was Fili who then broke the silence. "Well, surely, we can't end the evening with all of us in tears, even if they are happy ones!"

Aira, as she brushed away her tears, replied, "You're right, Fili. I think this calls for one more song."

"You and Thorin should do one together," Dwalin suggested.

"Yes!" Fili cried out.

"Do it, please, both of you! We would all love to hear you both perform together!" Kili added.

The other Dwarves all nodded and voiced their agreement to Dwalin's idea.

Aira looked back to Thorin and they chuckled. It appeared they didn't have much of a choice.

"I think that's a splendid idea," Thorin said.

"And I think we both know just what song to do," Aira added.

After Dwalin had made his suggestion, Elrond had ordered one of the Elves to bring over a second harp for them to use and it was placed next to the other one. The King and the Dwarf woman both took their positions in their seats by the harps.

"If it's all right, Lord Elrond," said Aira to the Lord of Rivendell, "this is a song that is very special to us Dwarves. I hope you don't mind us playing it."

Elrond just bowed his head. "I would find it a privilege to hear such a special tune of your people," he answered courteously.

"Well, then, shall we?" Aira asked, turning to Thorin beside her.

Simultaneously, the two of them started running their fingers along the harp strings for one final song that was familiar to a majority of everyone present.

Thorin started and Aira soon joined in,

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To find our long forgotten gold._

_The pines were roaring on the height,_

_The winds were moaning in the night,_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread,_

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

Normally, that was where the song ended and that was what everyone in the company expected, but to their surprise, Thorin and Aira continued to play their harps, their tune changing just a little. Then they all realized that they were continuing on into another familiar tune that brought cheerful grins and smiles from everyone.

Aira began this time, her voice flowing with great feeling,

_Far over the Misty Mountains rise,  
Leave us standing upon the height.  
What was before, we see once more  
Is our kingdom a distant light._

Thorin's deep bass voice then joined with Aira's light, angelic one,

_Fiery mountain beneath the moon,  
The words unspoken, we'll be there soon.  
For home a song that echoes on  
And all who find us will know the tune._

Then, to their surprise, all the other Dwarves began to start a chant and pound their hands and fists in tempo to the tune; something that was normally done when this song was sung. Thorin and Aira continued to sing,

_Some folk we never forget,  
Some kind we never forgive,  
Haven't seen the back of us yet,  
We'll fight as long as we live.  
All eyes on the hidden door,  
To the Lonely Mountain borne.  
We'll ride in the gathering storm  
Until we get our long-forgotten gold._

Aira's voice faded and now it was Thorin's turn to sing solo,

_We lay under the Misty Mountains cold  
In slumbers deep and dreams of gold.  
We must awake, our lives to make  
And in the darkness a torch we hold._

Aira joined in again, this time singing in harmony with Thorin, and they sang together, along with the Dwarves chanting in the background, for the remainder of the tune,

_From long ago when lanterns burned,  
Until this day our hearts have yearned.  
Her fate unknown, the Arkenstone,  
What was stolen must be returned._

_We must awake and make the day  
To find a song for heart and soul._

_Some folk we never forget,  
Some kind we never forgive,  
Haven't seen the end of it yet,  
We'll fight as long as we live.  
All eyes on the hidden door,  
To the Lonely Mountain borne.  
We'll ride in the gathering storm  
Until we get our long-forgotten gold.  
Far away from Misty Mountains cold._

With one final stroke of the strings, Aira and Thorin concluded their song. Afterwards, they both exchanged a glad and blissful glance and smiled. That song truly was something special to them and their people and it felt wonderful for them to be playing it together. But, most of all, it felt wonderful to them know that everything between them had been set right again.

The air was soon filled with the sound of hearty cheers, applause and laughter from everyone in the company. This had been the merriest they had all felt since before they began the quest. None of them could've asked for a better way to end their evening.

.

**YAY! :D**

**I will admit, I got a little teary-eyed writing most of this!**

**Please do share your thoughts thru reviews or PM's! **

**The next chapter will take a bit of different turn than the last couple...there will be more Kili and Aira moments since, well, this IS a Kili/OC story! ;) Stay tuned!**


	17. Forevermore

**This without a doubt was one of my favorite chapters to write! :D I'm very excited about this one!**

**The beginning I'm a little iffy about, but the rest is just fine, if I do say so myself! ;)**

**Hope you love it as much as I do! :)**

.

Nighttime soon fell upon the Hidden Valley and a majority of the Dwarves decided to stay out in the foyer where they had spent most of the evening. Bilbo, despite his desire to see more of the city, was having trouble keeping his eyes open and had decided to leave for the night to get some rest. Balin and Thorin had soon followed. Aira had returned to the Healing Rooms with Elrond and Gandalf to check and re-dress her wound. Thankfully, it still seemed to be healing well and there were no signs of infection.

Once Elrond had finished bandaging it again, Aira took her leave of the Elven lord and the Grey wizard to join her companions out in the foyer. She found most of them were sitting around by a fire they had made, all in their one-piece undergarments and just chatting away. Bofur and Bifur were the ones seated closest to the fire and they were both holding something over it. Bofur was roasting a sausage and Bifur was holding a stalk of lettuce near the flames. No doubt just trying to get rid of the nasty vegetable he almost had to eat at dinner was what Aira thought as she stood in hallway and watched them. Then there was Bombur sitting on a table in front of them with a plate piled with food resting on his oversized belly and he was just eating away. Bofur called out to his brother and tossed him the sausage. Bombur caught it with ease, but then realized he had made a mistake. Not a second after he caught it, the wood table collapsed beneath him and he dropped straight to the floor, his plate spilling food all over the place. The Dwarves all laughed hysterically and some of them, including Bofur, started rolling on the floor. They heard the lovely sound of Aira's laughter and all whipped around to see her, not even knowing she had been there.

Even though she was still giggling, she scolded the Dwarves, saying, "You mean devils, leave poor Bombur alone!" She strode over to the large Dwarf and helped him to his feet, with a little help from Nori and Dwalin, and he thanked her once he was back up.

"You feeling well, Aira?" asked Nori. "Your injury healing nicely?"

"As a matter of fact, Nori, it is, thank you for asking," Aira replied pleasantly.

"We were wondering when you were going to come join us," said Dwalin.

"Well, I'm here now, but don't stop what you were doing on my account."

While the rest of them resumed whatever conversations they had been having before Bombur's little incident, Aira found Fili and Kili sitting together on a bench. Both of them were smoking their pipes and Kili was also sharpening his hunting knife.

"May I join you, lads?" she asked.

"Absolutely, lass!" Fili replied, patting the space on the bench between him and his brother. As Aira sat herself down, he said to her, "That was beautiful what you did tonight with Thorin. We're happy that things are better between you two now."

"So am I," said Aira.

* * *

**Kili's POV**

As Fili and Aira started talking, Kili remained silent. He found himself just staring at Aira, seeing how lovely she was with the firelight revealing every little feature in her face. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, she looked beautiful in the firelight…was there any kind of light that would _not_ make her look beautiful, Kili pondered. The obvious answer was no, there wasn't. And she looked so happy, which made him happy, too. He cherished Aira's happiness because, as he recalled, there had been a time when she was sad more than anything.

Mainly, the time back when they first met.

* * *

_Seventy years past_

_"Fili, Kili, they're here!"_

_The two young brothers could hear their mother calling for them. They had been told that their Uncle Thorin would be returning and he was bringing a young girl with him, who was now going to live with them. Fili, who was twelve years old, and Kili, who was seven, were excited to hear they'd have another young Dwarf to play with. But, at the same time, they were feeling about a bit cautious about it, too. Dis, their mother, had told them the reason why Thorin was bringing the girl and they both felt very sad and sorry for her. They both did feel that maybe they could help her because they knew what she had gone through. The brothers had lost their father as well a few years back._

_The two very young Princes went with their mother outside to greet their uncle and the Dwarf girl._

_"Fili, Kili, this is Airaním," Thorin said to them, gesturing to the girl who stood behind him, staring at them with sorrowful eyes. "She is going to be living with us from now on."_

_They both said hello, but Aira was too shy and didn't say a word._

_Kili stared back at her, hating how miserable she looked and feeling sorry for her. He had never seen anyone appear so depressed and he completely understood, even at his young age. Despite her down expression, Kili thought Aira was actually a bit sweet-looking. _"Someone as pretty as her should not look so sad,"_ he thought to himself._

_"Let's take her inside, Thorin," Dis suggested. "The poor girl's probably tired and should get some rest." She ushered her brother and the little girl inside their home, leaving Fili and Kili where they stood._

_"Poor Airaním," Fili said. "She seems so lost and afraid with her father gone."_

_"I don't like seeing her that way," Kili stated. "Seeing her so sad made me feel sad, too."_

_"Same here. But she won't always be sad, little brother. One day she'll be happy again. Remember, Mother told us to do our best to make her feel welcome."_

_"I know."_

_In Kili's mind, he promised from that moment on that he would try the best he could to help poor little Aira feel happy again._

* * *

After about an hour of talking and just enjoying everyone's company in a calm setting, the Dwarves all began to feel tired. While the rest of the Dwarves had decided to retire for the night, Aira found that she was not quite as tired as they were, which surprised her considering her injury and how she should be exhausted from it. But she was just too happy after everything that had happened that evening to go to bed. So, instead she went the opposite direction of her bedroom, going to explore what she could of Rivendell.

Fili and Kili had noticed her walking away and both wondered where she was going.

"You'd better follow her," Fili said to Kili.

He looked at his brother curiously. "Why?" he just asked.

Fili's eyebrows rose. "Kili, I saw the way you were looking at her earlier by the fire," he said. "I have never seen such care and adoration in your eyes like that before. I know your feelings for Aira have grown much stronger since the Shire. You practically admitted your true feelings for her to me when we arrived here. Brother, you can't keep this a secret any longer. She needs to know the truth. You almost lost that chance earlier today and you _would_ have had what happened with Aira and the Wargs taken a turn for the worse." He placed a hand tightly on Kili's shoulder and gave it a small shake. "Everyone else is going to get some sleep and she's wandering off by herself. Follow her; the two of you will be alone."

Kili had been giving his older brother a grateful grin, but then it began to fade. "But what if she doesn't feel the same?" he asked. "Every time I even look at her now, all I can think about is just how much I want to be with her. What if she doesn't want that?"

"You will never know until you try. Go…tell her, Kili."

After grasping his brother's shoulder in acknowledgment, Kili departed his company and followed after Aira.

He kept a safe distance away, just watching her carefully as she continued down through halls and into the trees. After following her for a good while, he noticed her stopping on a bridge and kneeling down upon it to look down at the river below. Kili loved seeing how the Elven dress she wore opened up at the hem as she moved to her knees.

They were far enough away from where everyone else would be and he decided to step out and show himself.

* * *

Aira heard the slight sound of movement nearby and looked up from where she was kneeling to see Kili at the end of the bridge, who smiled at her. She smiled back as she stood up.

"I would think that you should be resting right now," he said, "what with that wound of yours."

"I'm too happy to sleep just yet," she replied.

Gesturing to her side, Kili asked, "Is it painful?"

Aira looked down and placed a hand over where her wound was, feeling the bandages through her clothes. Then she lifted her head and shook her head. "Not really," she answered. "Elrond did well in mending it. I don't feel the pain as much now."

There was still something inside Kili that ached knowing that she had been hurt and that he hadn't been there to look after her. He had promised himself and Aira secretly that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe and he had failed. Despite the things that Fili had told him to comfort him about it, that guilt still wouldn't go away.

Then he asked the question that had been on his mind for quite some time that day: "Why did you do it, Aira?"

She glanced back at him, confused at his question. "Why did I do what?"

Kili looked at her firmly. "Why did you face the Wargs yourself instead of coming down into the tunnel with the rest of us?"

"You and I would have been overrun had I not done something. I faced them to buy you and Thorin some time to get yourselves safely down in the passage."

"We could've taken them together."

"I'm sure we could have, but I chose to do what I felt was right. Why are you so tense about this all of a sudden?"

Kili's tone of voice hardened. "Do you realize that you could've suffered more than just an injury back there?"

Taken aback by his sudden change in attitude, Aira said back, "Do _you_ realize that, in doing what I did, I saved your life?"

"It doesn't matter, Aira. It was a hasty move and things could've been worse."

Her eyes narrowed. "Doesn't matter? Doesn't…matter?" Aira scoffed at him and rolled her eyes in disbelief, now feeling offended. "My gods, I save your life and this is the gratitude I receive? I would've expected much more from you, Kili!"

Kili began to raise his voice. "Yes, you saved my life, but had things gone wrong, it wouldn't have made a difference."

"What do you mean it wouldn't have made a difference?" Aira questioned him, almost yelling at him now. What was going on with him? Why was he like this so suddenly?

"The situation could have taken a different turn."

"But it _didn't_! Besides, you would still be alive!"

"But _you_ wouldn't be!" Kili cried. "Don't you understand?! You could've been killed! And I just can't live with that, Aira! I _can't_ lose you!"

He couldn't hold back any longer and did what he felt he should've done a long time ago: Kili swiftly moved towards Aira, clasped her head hard in his hands and crushed her lips with his, conveying all the powerful feelings he had in that kiss.

Aira's body completely froze as he kissed her, not expecting it at all. She suddenly felt a spark ignite in her heart as his mouth moved on hers with a great deal of passion that she didn't even know he had. Within seconds, that sensation overpowered her and she started to kiss him back, giving in to the feel of his full, soft lips that sent shivers down her spine. As she leaned into him, the stubble on his chin and upper lip tickled her skin and she found that she actually enjoyed that feeling.

Kili, however, soon pulled away and he gazed into Aira's eyes that were wide with surprise. Inside, he felt proud of himself for finally acting on his feelings for her, but at the same time, judging by how she kept staring at him, he wondered if perhaps it had been too bold a move. It didn't matter, though. He could hear Fili's voice in his head from before: _"Brother, you can't keep this a secret any longer. She needs to know the truth. Tell her."_ His confidence had reached a new height since the second their lips had met and he felt certain enough to do what he had to do.

"You mean far too much to me, Aira," Kili said sweetly. "If something worse had happened to you, I don't know what I would have done." He paused for a minute. Her expression had gone unchanged, but he continued, his voice filled with great emotion, and lightly caressing her cheek, "I cannot keep this a secret anymore. I told you before that I would always see you as my best and closest friend, and that was the truth, but…lately, you have become so much more than that to me. In my eyes, I see you as the most beautiful Dwarf woman I have ever known, both on the outside and on the inside. Somehow I never fully noticed that about you until you came back and it's brought to light just how much I've truly missed you. I look at you now and I wonder how I was able to get by without you these past thirty years."

"What are you saying…?" Aira asked as the corners of her mouth twitched upward, reaching up and placing her hands over his, never breaking their gaze. She was no longer looking at him in surprise, but now with great awareness of what he was telling her. She almost couldn't believe what was happening. It seemed almost too good to be true. She knew what he was trying to say, but she wanted to hear him actually say the words.

Kili, in response to her question, closed his eyes, leaned forward and tenderly rested his forehead against Aira's, still keeping a gentle hold on her head. Seeing the look on her face just then had caused a comforting, warm feeling in his chest and it increased as he prepared to say what was in his heart. Although, for a moment, his nerves took him over and he couldn't find the will to say anything. There was only silence between them and Kili could tell that Aira was just being patient with him.

He let out a sigh, at last deciding that he couldn't keep her waiting.

"I love you, Airaním."

There was a soft gasp that escaped her lips. He brought his head back to look at her and found her smiling brightly at him and knew immediately that that was a good sign.

Now smiling himself, he went on to tell her, "My feelings began to surface back in the Shire and, at first, I could not understand them. Everything just felt so new to me. However, I _do_ understand now. Tonight I realized that…I have loved you all my life! I know there were a couple of Dwarf women in the past that I thought I cared about, but nothing ever felt right with any of them. Now I see that the right one I've been searching for has been right in front of me all along. It's always been you."

At that moment, there was nothing that could be seen in Aira's eyes except true and utter joy. Everything Kili had just said was so pure and genuine and it seemed almost surreal to hear him say such loving things to her. He had done everything she had planned to do herself and that brought her great relief. Kili _did_ feel the same way for her as she did for him! Everything seemed to be falling into place, it was almost too perfect.

"Oh, Kili!" she cried out before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him happily. He stumbled back a bit, but reacted to her with much enthusiasm. Kili's arms wrapped themselves around her waist and her back and pulled her even closer.

Shortly, Aira broke their kiss and she gazed up into Kili's handsome face, beaming. "You can't even imagine how overjoyed I am to hear those words from you!" She raised a hand to his cheek and rubbed her thumb over his stubble. "I was actually going to tell you the same thing."

Kili's smile widened. "Really…?"

Aira nodded. "Almost like you, I've found that I have never had interest in other Dwarves in all my years and I couldn't ever figure out why. I realize that it was because my heart was meant for one special Dwarf: a young Prince who has been dear to me and dear to my heart since our childhood." She kissed him again and then continued, "I have cared so much for you and I too did not see it until recently. I know now that you have been and will be the only one for me, always."

She ran a hand through his long, dark hair before saying with great affection, "I love you, Kili."

Kili took her back close to him, pressed her body against his and kissed her so sweetly, Aira felt as though she could grow wings and fly.

The two young Dwarves stood there together on the bridge in each other's arms; their lips perfectly molded together, both of them discovering the meaning of true happiness. The nightly breeze weaved its way ever so softly through their hair and the light of the moon was shining almost directly upon where they stood, illuminating them.

Being there together felt right. There was no one and nothing else in the world except for them and the love they now knew they shared. There was no denying that they were destined for each other; two best friends who were now closer than ever before in ways they never could've imagined. This was the way it was meant to be.

After a few moments had passed, Kili and Aira's lips parted and they just gazed at each other, their faces full of love and devotion.

Kili then said to her endearingly, "I can see the stars sparkling in your eyes, Aira. They now shine brighter than any jewel hidden beneath the earth."

"Oh, Kili…!" Aira sighed, not knowing what she could possibly say in return to such a sweet and genuine compliment.

"It reminds me of how you looked in the moonlight of the Shire. I had never seen you glow so beautifully before then and I find myself reflecting on that night often."

"You almost kissed me that night in Hobbiton, didn't you?" Aira asked him. She recalled that that night, they had chased each other through the meadow outside of Bag-End and Kili had tackled her to the ground. While he had her pinned down in the grass, she remembered feeling him lower himself a little closer to her and she thought he was going to kiss her.

He gave a very light chuckle, amused that she actually remembered that. He wavered for a second but then replied with a simple, "Yes."

She played with the ends of his hair and said back with a smile, "If it means anything, Kili…I would have let you. And I think back on that night often, too."

Grinning, Kili reached up, took her hand that was in his hair and pressed the back of it to his lips warmly. Looking down at her hand in his, he just then was reminded of something he had almost forgotten.

He took a step back to give himself some room and said to her, "I have a gift for you. Close your eyes."

Without a second thought, Aira did as she was told and closed her eyes. Kili was still holding her hand and suddenly she felt it shift and she flinched slightly as something cold slid down on her left index finger.

She jumped again as Kili surprised her with another quick kiss and then he whispered, "Open your eyes now."

Aira's eyelids lifted and she raised up her hand to see what Kili had placed there and she gasped, amazed at what she saw. It was a silver ring with a sapphire surrounded by four smaller emeralds; the ring he had found back in the troll-hoard.

"Kili, this…this is beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"I found this back in the trolls' cave," Kili explained, "and thought it was perfect for you. I wanted to give it to you then, but Bofur ended up beating me to it." He let out a small laugh.

Aira gave him a wide, grateful smile. "I love it," she said. "Thank you." She couldn't stop admiring the lovely jewels that now adorned her left hand.

"I think it's very symbolic of you."

"How so?"

Kili took her hand and raised it a little higher for both of them to see. "I find it very similar to the emblem necklace you wear from all of us." He ran his thumb lightly over the stones. "The sapphire, of course, is you and the beautiful jewel that you are. These four emeralds represent me, Fili, Thorin and my mother, Dis. Just as they border the sapphire, you will always be encircled in the loving arms of Durin's line. And lastly, the silver band signifies the strong connection that holds our family together; that will forever keep you tied to us. A bond that can never be broken."

Aira could see every little thing that Kili described for her about the ring and her heart and soul was overwhelmed. Every thought was so heartfelt and sincere. She couldn't be more amazed about it.

_"Is it possible to love Kili more than I already do?"_ she asked in her mind as she looked at him. "It's perfect," was what she said out loud as she threw her arms around his neck. "The thoughts you have behind it are wonderful. I will treasure this ring for the rest of my life."

Incredibly pleased that she had accepted his gift, Kili lifted Aira into the air by her waist and spun her around, both of them laughing blissfully.

As he set her back down, Aira then noticed a waterfall cascading down into a pool not too far below them. A smirk spread across her face as she thought of an idea.

She took Kili by the hand, began pulling him across the bridge and said, "Come with me."

* * *

During the time that Kili and Aira had spent on the bridge, little did they know that there had actually been someone; one of the Dwarves watching them from afar the entire time.

He had simply been out for a walk, enjoying the nice, cool evening air when he had heard Kili and Aira arguing. Quickly, he had looked and found the two of them and couldn't help but watch even though he had no idea what they were saying. They were too far away. But they weren't far enough away for him to not see and go wide-eyed as the two young ones kissed each other.

The Dwarf had been quite startled at first, but then felt rather happy for the two of them. Having known Aira and Kili for a long time, he had kind of guessed that this would happen eventually. He wasn't much of a romantic, but he still thought they made a cute couple. He could only imagine what the others would say or think once they all found out about them.

_"Of course, they're not going to find out from me,"_ he thought to himself. Honestly, he had felt a little guilty for having watched the young couple all that time. That was almost an invasion of their privacy. So he decided that he wasn't going to say a word. If Kili and Aira wanted the company to know about them, it would be up to _them_ to inform the rest of the Dwarves, not him. He at least still felt he had the decency to give them that.

A few moments later, he saw Aira pulling Kili away and they walked off the bridge, disappearing from view. The Dwarf wondered where they were going, but then figured it was none of his business. He already seen and knew enough already. Once the two of them vanished, he got up from his hiding spot and made his way back to his room immediately, the image of Kili and Aira together still fresh in his mind.

* * *

The young couple made their way down the winding paths of on the one side of the mountain to where the waterfall was falling into a large pool. The lunar light of the moon was reflecting off the surface of the water, emphasizing every single ripple created from the falls. Aside from the loud booming of the waterfall, it was quite a peaceful little area.

"This is nice," said Kili as he glanced around, "but, uh…what are we doing here?"

Aira grinned and started removing her boots. "I just thought we could have a quick swim, if you're feeling up to it," she answered.

He gave her a funny look. "If _I'm _feeling up to it?" he repeated. "I should be the one asking _you_ that since _you_ are the one who's wounded here."

She scoffed. "Please, there is no injury that could keep me from going for a dip in the water." Aira then turned her back to him and asked, "Would you mind helping with the laces on my dress?"

Kili, after he took off his own boots, came up behind her and started untying and loosening the cords for her. As he finished, she slipped her dress down past her legs and took it off, now only wearing her white satin singlet that was underneath it.

Once she straightened back up, Kili's hands ran up Aira's back to her shoulders and pulled her neat, curly hair over her left shoulder, exposing the skin of her neck. There was a tug of desire inside his chest as he bent forward and began to run his lips over her neck, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Aira, who then sighed softly at the warmth of his breath running over her skin.

But then she began to giggle as his mouth moved up closer to her ear. "Kili, stop, that tickles!" she said in a giddy voice.

He just sniggered. "But what if I don't want to stop?" he asked against her collarbone.

"Then I will push you into that pool myself!" Aira threatened in a playful manner.

"Hmm…," Kili mumbled like he was thinking. Then he whispered into her ear before chuckling mischievously, "I'll take that as a challenge." After that, he resumed kissing her jaw line, purposefully nuzzling her skin to tease her.

"Kili!" Aira whined while her voice squeaked at his teasing and she jumped away from him.

When she turned back around, she did just as she said she would and went to push Kili into the water. But he was too quick for her. Before she could lay her hands on him, he grabbed both her wrists with his hands, twisted her around, dropped one of her wrists and used his free hand to scoop her up into his arms. Before Aira could protest, Kili ran and jumped straight into the lukewarm water, taking her with him.

Luckily, the pool wasn't that shallow so they didn't end up hitting the bottom right away. The two of them quickly resurfaced, Aira gasping in surprise and Kili gaily laughing at her.

"You sly fool!" she cried, splashing him in the face.

"Who are you calling a fool?" he asked with a grin and a cunning look in his eye.

Aira saw this and right away began to move away, splattering Kili with water as he lunged for her and missed. He continued to chase her around the pond, both of them laughing playfully at each other as he tried to catch her. Running around in the water reminded them both of when they would play like that as children, which felt like a lifetime ago. Just as Kili was about to seize her, Aira ducked underneath the water and swam off to the side. To Kili's disappointment, he couldn't see her underneath the water. It wasn't light enough to see her. He started looking around and over his shoulders to see if he could spot her, but she was nowhere to be found.

There was a splash behind him and suddenly Aira was jumping on his back, calling out triumphantly, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and shoulders, and tackling him into the water.

Once they both were underneath the water, Kili opened his eyes, ignoring the brief sting he felt in them, and flipped around to face Aira above him, staring down at him with her glittering brown eyes. He cupped her face in his hands and locked his lips with hers once more ever so tenderly and she reacted gladly. While they kissed, Kili's feet touched the ground and he pushed up with his legs to stand up, dropping his hands from her face and enfolding them around her waist as he did so, holding her body close against him.

Aira could feel Kili's body moving up, being suspended above him as he clung to her and she wrapped her legs around his waist to help keep herself level, even though she knew Kili would never drop her.

They could feel the water trickle through their hair and down their faces as they broke the surface of the pond, their lips still unbroken and their deep feelings for each other, having been buried for so long, now truly beginning to unearth themselves. They deepened their passionate kiss, Aira's hands tangled in Kili's drenched hair and Kili stroking Aira's back, both of them feeling and tasting the sweet water droplets that fell from their wet lips into each other's mouths. The overwhelming feeling of affection they both had inside felt absolutely perfect. For both Aira and Kili, there was nowhere else they would have rather been than right there, right then in each other's loving embrace.

After a moment, their lips parted and there was nothing but the sound of their breathing mixed with the soft crashing of the waterfall. The two of them kept their eyes closed and touched their foreheads together.

"Could you ever have imagined this?" Aira asked, breaking the silence.

"Imagined what?" said Kili.

"Us…together," she answered sweetly.

She felt him shake his head against hers and they both opened their eyes to see the other as he replied, "When we were young, no, but as we got older, this was something I could see every now and again. All these years, though, to me, it seemed like just a dream. I never believed it would ever come to this."

"Why is that?"

"As long as we've known each other, we've been close friends and I thought you wouldn't want us to be more than that."

Aira craned her neck and placed a light kiss on Kili's cheek. "For a time, maybe I did," she said, "but minds can change…and mine did." She smiled brightly.

Kili smiled back, lowered her down a little so she was level with him and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I love you, Kili."

"I love you, too, Aira."

* * *

Soon, the two young Dwarves decided that they should return up to their rooms, change into dry clothes and get some sleep. It was getting late and Kili didn't Aira to overwork herself because of her injury, to which she told him he didn't have to worry and that she was all right, even though her wound _was_ beginning to take its toll on her after the long day.

They walked hand in hand back up to Aira's room first. She had kissed Kili goodnight and was going to enter the room when he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back. She looked back at him and met his earnest gaze.

"Sleep in my room tonight," he said, sounding almost like he was pleading with her.

"You're sharing a room with Fili, aren't you?" Aira asked quietly.

"I am," Kili simply replied. "You would share a bed with _me_."

That caught Aira a bit off guard and she felt edgy about how to respond. _"I do love him, but…I don't think I'm ready for that yet…,"_ she thought. She stammered nervously, "Kili, I don't—I don't think that's—"

She was silenced when Kili placed a finger over her lips. "You trust me, don't you?" he asked, lowering his hand.

Aira gave a small nod of her head. "Of course."

Kili took a step toward her. "Then trust me when I tell you that nothing will happen that you don't want," he told her. "I am an honorable Dwarf and I know my place. I would never do anything that you don't want me to do. I would never be improper with you." He reached out, took her hand and pressed it firmly to his lips. "That, I promise you."

The bright look in his eyes was sincere and true and Aira believed him.

He then added, "It will just be like that night back in the foothills, after Balin had told the story of Moria; when you came and slept by my side. Yes, we slept together and that was literally all we did: we just slept beside each other with you in my arms, nothing else. I promise that's exactly what'll happen if you come and share a bed with me tonight."

Aira gently squeezed Kili's hand that still held hers. Now that she was sure of his intentions, she didn't mind the thought of spending the night with him. "I know you, I trust you and I believe you," she said to reassure him. "And it was wrong of me to doubt your sense of honor, even for a moment."

"It's all right, I understand," said Kili. "It's just…after everything that's happened tonight, or this entire day, for that matter, I just don't want everything to end now. Even though I know I'll see you tomorrow, I just don't want to walk away from you right now."

_"Oh, gods, he's so perfect!"_ Aira exclaimed in her mind. She wrapped her arms around Kili's waist and said, "Let me at least get into something dry, then I will come."

"I'll be waiting for you."

* * *

It wasn't long before Aira went to Kili's room. When she walked in, she found Kili on one side of the room, in a new set of trousers and a royal blue shirt, sitting over the sheets on his bed with his head resting up against the wall behind him, his eyes closed. But they popped open once he heard Aira come in and a happy grin spread across his face at the sight of her in the sky-blue singlet she now wore and her hair all neat and newly re-braided. Right then, he was definitely thankful that the moon was shining brightly through the window.

Aira smiled back at him as she closed the door and began to quietly walk to the bed. She then stopped as she heard the sound of Fili's soft snoring in the bed on the opposite side of the room. "What are we going to do about Fili?" she whispered.

She heard Kili let out a small breath. "I wouldn't worry about him," he answered in an equally quiet voice. "You forget that he's a heavy sleeper. I doubt he'll wake up when we do."

He shifted to the edge of the bed and Aira could see his face appear in the moonlight. That handsome face that gazed at her with such fondness and devotion, it would make her heart stop for one second and then start beating rapidly the next. And his smile…how could she not smile herself at such a sweet and dear sight?

He held out a hand to her, inviting her to come to him. Without a word, she took his hand and let him pull her onto the bed next to him as he moved over to make room. And he politely lifted the sheets over her as she settled in. His arm moved across her back and pulled her close to him as they laid their heads down on the pillows facing each other.

"I still can't believe this is really happening," Kili whispered, his fingers tracing the edge of Aira's cheek.

"Neither can I," Aira whispered back, inching closer to him until her head found his shoulder. That familiar feeling of his warmth around her was soothing and she felt her eyes closing and her body sinking into his warmth.

Kili kissed her lips softly before saying affectionately, "You, Airaním, are all I need to be with forevermore."

Aira, in reply, kissed Kili again deeply, feeling so much more in love with him with every word he spoke and every passing second.

"Good night, my dear Prince," she said as she laid her head back down.

She felt his lips in her hair and Kili said back, "Good night, my beloved Princess."

In that moment, a single tear fell from the corner of Aira's eye just before she succumbed to sleep. It was not a tear of sorrow, like many that had been shed that day, but a tear of true joy.

.

**AT LAST! :D**

**Aira and Kili are finally together! And the symbolism of Kili's ring was revealed. Kudos to those of you who guessed correctly ;)**

**Now that you've read this chapter, watch this video/listen to this song ( watch?v=QYIwAwiKW-g) I listened to it on a loop as I wrote a majority of this. It's the perfect song to describe what I think would be going through Kili and Aira's minds at this point :) The title of this chapter as well as the last line Kili says before saying goodnight was inspired by this beautiful song.**

**And lastly...who was the Dwarf that saw them on the bridge? Who do YOU think it was? **

**Leave me a review or message me with your thoughts, my dears! :)**


	18. Darker Things Stirring

**I know I kinda hinted to some of you, in regards to guesses from the last chapter and whatnot, that you'd get your answers in this chapter, but then I realized that I was almost about to leave out something important...so I threw this in! Something much darker...! (hence the chapter title)**

.

The night continued on and everyone in the company of Thorin Oakenshield was deep in peaceful slumber.

However, miles away from the still valley of Rivendell, there were darker things stirring atop the abandoned watchtower of Amon Sul.

The Orc-pack that had chased the Oakenshield company to the Hidden Pass had returned to the watchtower to meet up with the remainder of their regiment. The leader, Yazneg, cautiously walked into the open at the top of the tower where other Orcs and Wargs were standing around waiting, staring and growling at him as he approached.

In front of him was a great white Warg with glowing yellow eyes, baring its teeth and resting on a raised stone. Behind the creature stood the chief Orc of the pack near the edge of the tower, staring off in the distance.

He was a giant white Orc with only one arm; the missing one had been replaced by a long metal claw that had been brutally shoved through his forearm.

Azog, the Defiler.

_"The Dwarves, Master," _Yazneg said to him in their language, hesitantly, _"…we lost them." _He flinched as the white Warg growled at him. He began to say,_ "Ambushed by Elvish filth we were—"_

_"I don't want excuses," _Azog interrupted him as he turned around and descended down the steps upon which he stood._ "I want the head of the Dwarf King!"_

_"We were outnumbered; there was nothing we could do. I barely escaped with my life."_ Yazneg tried to explain.

_"Far better you had…paid with it," _said Azog as he lightly stroked the smaller Orc's head maliciously.

Yazneg could tell that things weren't going to end well for him. But then he exclaimed, _"Wait, Master, there is more! We found the slave girl with them!"_

Azog's eyes widened slightly as he straightened up at Yazneg's statement. _"Telyna?"_

_"Yes!"_ said Yazneg, thinking that would possibly persuade his Master from killing him. _"When the Dwarves hid themselves inside a hole, she stood against us alone. It was her, I swear! I would recognize her face anywhere."_

_"And where is she now?"_

_"The Elvish filth attacked us before we could do anything and they took her. I did manage to wound her beforehand as a message that you would soon know that she's alive."_

Azog resumed running his large hand over Yazneg's face again, this time with an evil, pleased grin etched on his face. _"Excellent,"_ he said. _"You have done and served me well, Yazneg."_

Yazneg bowed his head.

Suddenly Azog's metal claw was forced upon Yazneg's throat and the pale Orc lifted him to the air, letting out a guttural holler. With that, he thrust the Orc away, sending him crashing into a pillar and landing near a group of Wargs that viciously devoured him.

Feeling no remorse whatsoever, Azog turned back and walked back up the steps to the edge of the tower. "_The Dwarf-scum will show themselves soon enough," _he stated confidently. He looked back over his shoulder to the rest of the pack._ "Send out word!" _he commanded them as the Orcs mounted their Wargs._ "There is a price on their heads…and the Dwarf girl is mine!" _He let out one final roar and the pack descended down into the plains at his command.

The Defiler stared off into the night, the news of the sighting of the slave girl, Telyna, still on his mind. Long had he wondered how she had managed to escape him years ago. Quite a feisty and fiery young female, she was, he remembered. And soon, he would have her back in his clutches once more.

* * *

_Eighteen years past_

_After re-grouping at Amon Sul, Azog and his pack of Orcs had departed the watchtower and returned to their refuge in Gundabad. He now had a new addition to add to his collection of slaves and he was rather intrigued, and perhaps excited, about this one. It was a young Dwarf girl his scouts had bartered for as part of a trade. Where the men who had her in the first place had gotten her, they did not know, and personally, Azog didn't care. He had never had a Dwarf slave before and, given his immense hatred for Dwarves, he knew he was going to enjoy it._

_His scouts had locked her in the dungeons with their other prisoners. He decided that he would go and pay her a little visit._

* * *

**Aira's POV (past)**

_Aira awoke painfully, her entire body throbbing and her abdomen especially. It felt like it was being crushed between two granite boulders that were covered in spikes. Immediately she remembered seeing Azog and he had stabbed her with his clawed hand before darkness had overtook her._

_She sat up slowly on the straw-covered stone floor and her eyes wandered the room. There wasn't much to see, just a dark, barred room that was dimly lit by torches; a dungeon._

_Her stomach winced and Aira's hand moved over it, but she was surprised at what she felt. Carefully, she lifted up her blood-stained shirt and saw that her wound had been bandaged._

_"What…?" she asked out loud._

_"You are lucky, young Dwarf," said a voice._

_Startled, Aira turned around and met the face of a man with a short, graying red beard who appeared to be about middle-aged. His clothes were tattered and faded, his face bruised and scarred and weathered with time. Behind him were two other men and a woman, all in torn clothes and looking quite sad._

_The older man spoke again, "You had already lost much blood by the time you were brought here. It was a miracle you survived."_

_"Where am I?" asked Aira._

_"You are in the dungeons of Gundabad," answered the woman, who had long blonde hair and hazel eyes. She appeared to be younger than the older man by only a few years. _

_One of the men, who had short dark hair and a beard of the same color, also said, "You are a prisoner of Azog, the Defiler."_

_"And soon to be made his slave like the rest of us," the other man, the one who appeared the youngest of the group, added. He seemed like he was in his late twenties, perhaps early thirties, by years of Men._

_Aira said nothing, too scared of the realizations that were hitting her._

_"What is your name?" asked the older man._

_As she opened her mouth to answer, she was startled by the sound of the dungeon door creaking open and she whipped her head back. Just as she should've suspected, the pale Orc entered the small barred room, glaring down at her with hungry eyes. _

"Why didn't Thorin kill you when he had the chance…?" _Aira wondered as she stared back at him, terrified._

_Azog looked her over and then spoke something that sounded like a question or a command to her in Orcish._

_Aira froze up, knowing she couldn't understand what he was saying and worried of what would happen because of it._

_But then, to her surprise, the older man behind her said, "He says 'Tell me your name.'" _

_Somehow this man knew and understood the Orc language, which had Aira a bit taken aback. But she continued to stare at the pale Orc, feeling her gaze hardening at him. She remembered and knew everything Thorin had ever told her about him; that he had been the leader of the Orcs that overtook Moria at the Battle of Azanulbizar, he had slain many Dwarves that day and that Thorin was the one who had deprived him of his left hand._

_If Thorin knew of this, Aira knew he would not want the Defiler to know who she really was. She had to keep the only thing she now had left safe: her identity._

_When she didn't answer and continued to glare back at him, he repeated what he just said again. He continued to receive a hateful glare from the Dwarf. Azog growled loudly and started moving towards her. Aira went to move, but he strode past her and, to her utter dismay, grabbed the dark-bearded man by the collar of his shirt and dragged him in front of her, speaking Orcish in his threatening voice as he pulled out a long, curved knife and held it to the man's throat._

_"Tell me who you are or I will kill this filth of a man!" was the translation the old man gave her._

_Aira couldn't let the man die because of her. "All right!" she cried out. _

_Azog gave her a look that said "I'm waiting."_

_"My name is…Telyna," she said to him._

_"Telyna…," Azog repeated, as if trying out how the name felt on his tongue, and a satisfied grin crossed his face._

_Then, to everyone's terror, he raised the knife again to the bearded-man's neck and slit his throat before they could react, spilling the man's blood on the floor. The man's eyes were still wide as his life was taken from him._

_Aira gasped, horrified. The Orc had only threatened to kill the man if she didn't tell him her name and she thought she had saved him. She choked on a scream as the dead man's body slumped down to the ground in front of her._

_She leaned back as Azog knelt down and put his face closer to hers, trying to keep away from him. He raised a hand to her face and she flinched in disgust. Once again, he spoke in his horrible-sounding language with a menacing smirk and he let out an evil chuckle before standing up, picking up the dead man's body, throwing it over his shoulder and leaving the dungeon._

_"I look forward to having you at my service, Dwarf girl," the old man said, telling Aira what Azog had said before he left. Clearly, the Orc had mocked the Dwarves customary greeting with that comment._

_Aira was still breathing heavily after what she had just witnessed. She felt guilty; horrible that the man had died because of her. She flipped around to face the others. "I am so sorry!" she quietly exclaimed. "I am so sorry about your friend! I thought—"_

_"That if you did as Azog asked, he would've spared his life," the woman finished for her._

_Aira gave a timid nod._

_The woman shook her head. "Don't blame yourself, dear," she said. Then she gestured to the spot where the man had been moments before. "Fegnus was his name; he is not the first one to die like that. We all saw it coming, despite how much we didn't want it to happen." It was sad to hear the truth of what she said in her voice mixed with her sorrow at losing her friend. "If Azog does not get what he wants when he wants, he will kill a slave for it."_

_"If I would have known, I would've said something right away. I'm sorry," Aira said._

_The three others only nodded and remained silent for a moment._

_"How did a young Dwarf girl like you end up out here?" asked the young man._

_Aira gulped. "I had been travelling alone and ended up in Rohan for a time. I won't go into details…the tale of how I ended up here isn't exactly one I fancy telling."_

_"We understand," said the woman._

_"It's just an absolute shame that you had to end up in here with us. You're so young and you don't deserve to be in such a terrible place," the young man added._

_Aira felt a little grin in her lips. "Thank you," she said simply._

_"You said your name was Telyna?" asked the old man._

_For a second, Aira had forgotten that was the name she had given. "Yes, it's my mother's name. She died in childbirth," she answered, which was the truth. Her explanation wasn't really much of a lie. The only thing untrue was that it just wasn't her real name, but hopefully these strangers would think she was named after her mother._

_Fortunately, they did. The old man bowed his head and said to her, "I am Geran." He gestured to the woman and then to the young man. "This is Nendi and Maldor."_

_They too bowed their heads to Aira and she returned the polite gesture._

_Geran gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and stated, "It appears we're going to be your cell-mates for, quite possibly, a long time."_

* * *

**Azog's POV (past)**

_After Azog had given Fegnus's body to the Wargs to feast upon, he couldn't help but snicker viciously to himself. The look of pure fear in the Dwarf girl's face when he had killed the man had brought him sheer amusement. How he delighted in the pain and fear of others! The Dwarf, Telyna, had reeked of it! He knew from that moment on that he was going to take immense pleasure in enslaving her._

.

***Ghostly "Ooooh!"***

**I know, that was kinda short and a bit...well, I don't know how to describe it :P But no worries, my lovelies, we'll be back in happy, peaceful Rivendell next chapter! :)**

**Review and/or PM, if you please! :)**


	19. Expect the Unexpected

**Whew! Finally, another chapter is up! I never thought I would ever be able to get this up, school has just been beatin' me to death lately! plus I had choir tour over the weekend in Le Grande, Oregon, which was super fun!**

**This is a fun little chapter that I think you all will enjoy :) I can guarantee you lots of laughs and smiles! And, considering the great feedback I've gotten about mixing the past and present with flashbacks, I've put yet another one in! it's longer than any of the other ones in past chapters, but it's a super cute and fun one nonetheless!**

**And, just like almost every other chapter, there's a little surprise at the end ;) The title of this chapter should be a hint of what to expect... ;)**

**.**

Aira's eyes fluttered open, taking in the lightness of the room. The sun was rising and there was just the right amount of light shining in through the window. She awoke looking up at the ceiling, but she could still see how bright it was.

She felt slight movement next to her. Her head turned and she found Kili lying beside her with his back to her, resting peacefully.

The corners of her lips moved up into a great grin as Aira looked at his backside, remembering everything that had happened the previous night. How he had followed her to the bridge…their brief argument…their first kiss…Kili declaring his love for her and her doing the same for him…their playing in the pond…every wonderful thing that had led to Aira spending the night with Kili and falling asleep in his embrace.

If anyone had told her a long time ago that she would fall in love with Kili or that he would fall in love with _her_, she most likely would've laughed, thinking it the craziest thing she'd ever heard. She knew now that there was nothing crazy about the idea. The only thing she considered crazy was waking up next to him and realizing that what was between them was real. That was something she never imagined was possible and clearly Mahal, the Creator, had set out to prove her wrong. Not that she minded, of course.

Aira sat up, leaned over Kili's head and started pressing light, soft kisses up and down his neck, hoping to gently wake him up. She found she just couldn't resist once she saw his bare skin below his jaw line in front of her.

Sure enough, Kili could feel her supple lips trailing the skin on his neck as he awoke and a low hum of enjoyment rumbled in his throat. He could feel her smile at his response against the crook of his neck.

"Aren't _I _the one who's supposed to wake _you_ up like that?" Kili asked, grinning as he flipped over to his side to face Aira.

"That would require you to wake up _first_," Aira replied.

They both snickered and Aira brought Kili's face to hers and kissed him deeply, feeling and hearing him exhale a sigh into her lips as if she hadn't kissed him in years.

She pulled away, her hand drifted down to his and their fingers intertwined. As they gazed at one another dotingly, Aira said to Kili, "I could get used to this."

"So could I," Kili said back.

"Well, it's about time!"

Both Aira and Kili exclaimed in surprise and jolted upright, completely startled by another voice in the room. Kili ended up jerking up so fast, he fell right off of the bed, crying out, "Durin's beard!" just before he hit the floor with a loud _thud_!

On the other side of the room, Fili was sitting on his bed, guffawing hysterically at his brother's reaction as well as the look of shock on Aira's face and feeling quite pleased with himself.

In truth, he had actually known that they had been together during the night before he had even awoke that morning. During the night, Fili had woken up at the sound of Aira coming into the room, but he remained silent, secretly listening to them as he was facing the wall and had his back turned to them. He had almost chuckled to himself when he heard Kili say that he was a heavy sleeper and they wouldn't have to worry about him. Then as he listened to all of the sweet, endearing things they said to each other, he had started cheering excitedly in his head. He realized that Kili had really done it; had told Aira how he felt about her and, clearly, she felt the same, which made Fili incredibly happy for his brother and his best friend.

He was also proud to know that they hadn't done anything during the night and he just knew that the fact that _he_ was also in the room had nothing to do with it. Kili was an honorable Dwarf who valued his morals and Aira was the same way. He felt very impressed with them for sticking to their values and honoring each other's virtue.

Once he figured they were asleep, Fili had then decided he was going to make himself get up early so he could surprise the two lovebirds when they awoke. And his little sneaky plan had worked, just as he intended.

"Fili, what—?" was all Aira could stammer out.

Kili lifted himself off the floor and threw his upper body over the edge of the bed, glaring at his brother. "Fee, you prat!" he exclaimed in mock anger. "You're supposed to still be asleep!"

Fili just laughed again. "And miss the chance to tease the two of you when you awoke, Kee? Not a chance!"

"Fili, we swear, this isn't what it looks like!" Aira began to explain.

He shook his head and chuckled, his obnoxious laughter starting to die down. "Don't worry, Aira, I know it isn't. Believe me, if it _was_ what it looks like, I would've had to move to another room last night!"

Aira gasped, appalled at what he was implying, and threw her pillow across at him. Fili raised his arms above his head to protect his face from the oncoming pillow and it bounced right off him.

"Good idea, Aira!" Kili said, grabbing his own pillow. He jumped on top of the bed, ran across it, avoiding stepping on Aira's legs, jumped off and then proceeded to smack his brother in the shoulder with his pillow, both of them crying out.

Aira threw off the sheets and got up from the bed, wanting to join in the fight. She picked up her pillow and started smacking Fili with Kili. Fili started shouting once he realized that he was being beaten with two cushions instead of one.

"Oi, come on!" he exclaimed. He finally was able to grab a hold of his own pillow and swung it up, not really aiming at either of them; just trying to get one of them away. It was Aira he hit and he got her right in the shoulder.

When she gasped, Kili's eyes widened. "Oh, you're going to pay for that, brother!" he said with a smirk, raising his pillow again.

"No, Kili!" said Aira, grabbing his hand.

The two brothers looked at her curiously.

"Don't do anything…," she said, looking over at Fili, "…because he's _mine_!" Suddenly she leapt onto the bed and tackled Fili onto his back, making him shout in surprise.

Kili just stood there and laughed at them as they struggled.

Aira forced Fili onto his back, straddling herself over him and pinned his arms on either side of his head, both glaring and grining at him.

Fili's eyes widened at her quick actions and also their current position. He let out a mischievous snicker as he looked up at her and said with a rather devilish smirk, "Well, Aira…I do believe you're sitting on top of the wrong brother!"

The grin on her face was immediately wiped away and Aira's jaw dropped, gasping again at Fili's absurd comment. She heard Kili gasp at him as well. "Fili, you filthy-minded imp!" she bellowed as she started pounding at his chest offensively.

After letting her get a few hits at him, Fili reached up, took hold of Aira's wrists and flipped her over. However, before he could assume the position she had just been in over him, Kili cried out, "Oh no, you don't!" and grabbed his brother around the waist, pulling him off of the bed and both of them crashed to the floor.

The two Princes began wrestling each other in a fun, brotherly way. Kili would start to twist Fili's arms behind his back, but then Fili would spin out of it and push Kili face first to the floor. Kili was quick and would push against his brother's weight off the floor, twist around and forced Fili into a tight headlock, both of them chuckling at each other all the while.

"You know I'm only joking, you two!" Fili said, straining against Kili's hold around his neck.

"That doesn't mean we will have mercy on you!" Kili replied slyly, grinning at Aira who was still on the bed watching them.

Aira giggled. She was quite amused at the brothers' play-fighting. She remembered how often they did that as children and clearly that hadn't changed since. Deep down, she knew that, no matter what, Fili and Kili would always be children at heart. That playfulness had certainly rubbed off on her, too. Aira couldn't help but be teasing or humorous whenever she was with the two of them. It was just impossible not to be.

"You won't get off easily for those crude remarks of yours, Fili!" she cried out, jumping on both the brothers and starting to help Kili wrestle him.

The sounds of struggling grunts and cries as well as lighthearted laughs and shouts bounced off the walls of the room as the three young Dwarves continued their fun and slightly childish brawl on the floor; pushing, shoving, headlocks, lightly pulling each other's hair and grabbing their arms and legs.

Suddenly the room grew brighter as the door was swung open, letting more light in, and they could hear heavy footsteps approaching. The three of them, while still entangled with one another, looked up to see Thorin towering over them, staring down at them with a confused look on his face. He had been coming by the room when he had heard the ruckus they were making inside and he wanted to see what was happening. They straightened themselves out and were silent, nervous as to what he was going to say.

"What in Durin's name is going on in here?" was all Thorin asked them. He didn't look nor sound angry at them, which was slightly surprising. Rather, his tone came across as just curious; inquisitive as to what the three young Dwarves were doing while they had been tangled up on the floor.

Aira, Fili and Kili looked at each other, a bit relieved that he didn't appear cross with them. Now that they were aware of that, the three of them shared devious glances as an idea came to their minds and they knew that they all had the same one.

The three of them turned back to Thorin and shouted together, "Get him!"

Before Thorin even realized what was happening, Fili and Kili had grabbed him by the arms and Aira jumped up and pounced on him from behind, all of them dragging him down to the floor with them. He let out a startled yell before finding himself being bombarded by his ward and his nephews.

After that lasted for a minute, the three young ones ceased their playing as their leader pulled his arms out of their grip and sat up. Now they were more nervous that they had angered him this time, for sure. Thorin wasn't always one to joke around like they did and now they feared they had gone too far.

But, to their astonishment, a sly smirk crossed Thorin's face and he lunged for Kili on his knees, making his youngest nephew cry out and pulling him into a firm headlock while ruffling his hair.

Aira and Fili were quick to react to Thorin's action. "Oh no, he's got Kili!" Aira exclaimed in fake distress.

"We must save him before Uncle makes him go hairless!" Fili said in reply as they both leapt over to Thorin and Kili.

The Dwarf King chuckled heartily as Fili started pulling on his arms, with no luck in removing them off of his brother at all, and Aira once again jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him backwards.

Thorin released his hold on Kili and instead shifted his arms over his head, took hold of Aira's upper arms and started pulling her over his shoulder.

"Whoa!" Aira cried out as she was pulled over him and she swung her legs forward, narrowly missing kicking both Fili and Kili in the heads and flipping herself onto her back in front of Thorin, laughing wildly after she landed.

Fili and Kili began to join in her jovial laughter, as did Thorin. Seeing him smiling and laughing like this was something the three young Dwarves hadn't seen in what felt like forever. It was a pleasant, refreshing moment in the midst of their rowdiness.

As Aira sat up and shifted to her knees to face them, Thorin wrapped his arms widely around her, Fili and Kili and pulled them in for a tight group hug. They had been surprised at first at such a gesture from Thorin. Of course they all knew he loved them greatly, but he rarely showed this type of affection to them. Or, at least, all three of them at the same time. But they were very glad as they realized he was opening up more with them and returned his loving gesture by each of them wrapping their arms around him as well as each other. Moments like this were rare and they cherished it greatly. It was then that Thorin, Fili, Kili and Aira all truly felt like a family once again.

Thorin gently pulled back and looked each of the young Dwarves in the eyes. "Now, I don't know what's gotten into you three," he said, grinning, "but it still is good to see your cheerfulness has not run out."

"You know us, Uncle!" Kili replied.

"We're always cheerful!" Aira added.

"That'll never happen!" said Fili.

Thorin smiled again, feeling his pride in his three heirs—more appropriately, his two heirs and his heiress—rising even more. He looked to Fili on his right and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, receiving a grateful smile from the Prince. Then he turned to Kili and ran a hand over the top of his head just to tease him and Kili ducked away, smirking. Lastly, Thorin glanced at Aira and cheerfully tapped her on the tip of her nose, making her giggle. Then, after giving them one last glad look, he stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Oh, by the way," he said, turning back to them, "keep the noise down." After raising his eyebrows at them good-naturedly and making them snicker at him, Thorin left the room.

"Well, that went differently than I expected," Aira said, still laughing lightly.

Fili exhaled and said in response, "I don't know if you've noticed, Aira, but almost _everything _on this journey has been unexpected."

She nodded in agreement.

"Although, not everything unexpected has been bad," said Kili, glancing at Aira with a smile. They both knew what he was talking about, of course. The two of them ending up together on the journey was definitely unexpected!

Aira smiled back at him as she reached out and took his hand in hers.

Once again, Fili started to chuckle at them. Both Aira and Kili looked at him skeptically.

Kili raised a warning finger at him and said, "Fili, I swear, if you make one more remark—"

"Simmer down, brother, I wasn't going to," Fili said to cut him off. "I know nothing happened in here last night, I was awake when Aira came to the room." Both of them just stared at him. "Besides," Fili went on, "I know both of you. Kili, I know you would never be improper with a woman, especially with the likes of Aira. And Aira, I know you're the same way. Plus, I know there's no way anything like that would happen when you knew I was in the room!"

"Of course not," said Aira.

The oldest Dwarf Prince then grinned at the two of them. "I really am happy for you both," he stated with a glad tone in his voice. "I've noticed how the two of you have been when you're around one another and how you've looked at each other since the start of this quest. I knew it was only a matter of time until this would happen. You two were meant for each other; you belong together."

Aira was so happy to hear that from Fili. Her heart was filled with great love and appreciation for him and his support. "Thank you, Fili," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. "That means so much coming from you."

"Are you going to tell Thorin and the rest of the company soon?" Fili asked as they all got back up to their feet.

"I would assume, yes," Aira replied. She looked to Kili for confirmation and he gave her a nod.

Fili then said to them, "Good, because I know they would happy to hear of your new courtship."

"You think so?" Kili asked.

"Knowing them, they probably noticed our behaviors, as well, and have made wagers about us," Aira said jokingly.

But then they both noticed Fili was raising his eyebrows and smirking at them. "As a matter of fact, they did!" he stated.

"What?" said Kili.

"Oh, for Durin's sake!" cried Aira, rolling her eyes.

"And, actually, their wager has been going on longer than you think," Fili added.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kili.

"It's been going on since Aira's twentieth birthday celebration."

Kili and Aira's eyes widened and jaws dropped.

* * *

_Fifty-six years past_

_It was a beautiful day in the Blue Mountains. The sun was shining bright down on the mountain, the birds were singing in the trees; the weather was pleasant and warm with a light breeze. It was the perfect day for a birthday gala. Especially for Airaním, the Princess of Ered Luin._

_Although she insisted every year that a birthday celebration wasn't necessary, no one ever listened to her and would give her one anyway. The way that Dis always put it was, "You are royalty now and royalty are always celebrated by their people. It's their choice, not ours."_

_Every year, the celebration for Princess Aira was always wonderful and full of merriment with lots of food, drinks, music and dancing. Many Dwarves who lived in Ered Luin would attend, as well as some from the other Seven Dwarf Kingdoms. They knew of her tale of how she came to be with the family of the heirs of Durin and it didn't matter to them that Aira was not technically part of the royal family by blood. She was a kind and gentle soul who treated her subjects well like the Oakenshields' did and she was accepted as a Princess; as Dwarven royalty, adored by her people and those of the other Kingdoms._

_This time, it was her twentieth birthday celebration. It was a tradition for her and the Oakenshields', for everyone's birthdays, to do birthday gifts just between the four of them before the party instead of with all the others during it. It was more special that way._

_Dis had gotten Aira several new perfumes, each a new, sweet scent that Aira rather enjoyed. She really liked the different scented body sprays she could find in the market and Dis would always beat her to getting them for her._

_Thorin had given her a fur-lined coat that was a lot like the one he wore in appearance. Hers was made of maroon fabric and had cream-colored fur that lined the edges as well as fell down the shoulders. Aira had always liked the coat that Thorin wore and so he had decided to have one made for her that was similar to his, which she absolutely loved._

_Fili and Kili's gift, however, surprised Aira the most. The two of them wanted to give her one thing that would be from the both of them. They both had chipped in some of the money they had and had bought her a brand-new dress. It was a navy-blue gown that had black sleeves and silver tassels bordering the neckline and along the waistline. It had come with a silver chain circlet that had a single blue garnet placed in the middle. Aira thought that that and the dress were so beautiful that she wanted to wear them for her birthday celebration, which made the Princes very happy._

_Evening soon came and the guests for the gala were beginning to arrive by the dozens, and then some. They were convening in a large field just near the mountain where there were numerous tables and chairs set up with food and drink and an elevated platform for all of the Dwarf musicians who would delight the people with music throughout the night. There was a magnificent feast held in Aira's honor and she was graced with thoughtful toasts from Thorin, Balin, Fili, Dwalin, and Kili._

_Once the feast was over, the music began to sound and the frivolity commenced. The large assembly of Dwarves began to pair off in many couples for the different dances that were being played. Aira, for a long time, accepted dances from many Dwarves, both young and old, that she either didn't know or barely knew. She didn't mind, though. She enjoyed getting to know other people, especially when dancing. Everyone she met seemed kind and fun and most of them knew how to dance._

_Before long, Aira found herself dancing with more familiar faces. _

_The first one was with Balin, who took great pride in the fact that he could still dance despite how old he was getting. _

_Then he was followed up by Bofur. He was quite light on his feet, as well, but he always had to make sure he wouldn't accidentally poke Aira in the eye with his hat anytime he twirled her around. Even if it did, Aira would just laugh about it._

_After Bofur, Fili came and swept her away before anyone else could. Literally. When the next dance had begun, he had come up behind Aira and lifted her into his arms, spinning her around fast before setting her back down and beginning the dance. _

_"Isn't it said in all the children's stories that a Prince must sweep the Princess off her feet?" Fili asked with a wink as they began moving around to the rhythm._

_Aira just giggled. "Well, you're quite the charmer, aren't you?" she had said back._

_Then, to her surprise, after Fili, Dwalin had asked for the next dance, which hadn't ever happened before. And then, even more to her astonishment, he seemed to be a better dancer than his older brother, which was saying something since Balin seemed a natural._

_"Mister Dwalin, I do believe you have been hiding something from all of us!" Aira stated after he gave her a quick twirl. _

_"Oh, you got me, Princess!" Dwalin exclaimed in a good-natured tone._

_After she finished with the bald and burly Dwarf, she then had her special dances with Kili and Thorin. After that, the song that played next was a well-known, upbeat tune that was best danced to in small groups. In each group, the men would stand in a circle and the women would be in the middle. As the song played, they would move around counterclockwise in the circle and dance with each male Dwarf for a short amount of time and would then be passed off to the next partner and that was the cycle for the entirety of the dance._

_Aira found herself to the only female in her circle. The males that surrounded her were Fili, Bofur, Thorin, Dwalin, Kili, Bombur, Ori and Nori. The other Dwarves—out of those who would, in the future, be part of the company of Thorin Oakenshield—that were not participating were Balin, Oin, Gloin, Dori and Bifur. Balin, Oin and Gloin all felt tired and that they were too old to dance all night, whereas Dori and Bifur just never had a fancy for dancing and instead sat around either enjoying a mug of ale or a plate full of food while watching. Fili and Kili had tried to get their mother to join them, but Dis too was growing a bit exhausted and chose to just watch as well._

_The music began to play and Aira started out the dance with Nori. He started to hop around into the middle of circle, leading her with him, his zany hair bouncing up and down as he did so. _

_Then, with a powerful turn as he made his way back to his spot, he brought her over to his brother, Ori. Ori, being the shy young Dwarf of them all, just took her hands and they swayed from side to side. Aira found his bashfulness pretty adorable and couldn't help but give him a sweet, encouraging smile that made him smile and turn a light shade of pink._

_Bombur was next and he had fun with it! When Aira came to him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and just spun them both around in circles, making Aira cry out merrily. After a few spins, he set her back down and she stood in place shakily, feeling dizzy. Then she suddenly felt Bombur shove her forward and she was thrown a couple feet off the ground into the air. She realized he had shoved her with his oversized stomach!_

_She flew right to Kili, who caught her and dipped her as she landed in his strong arms. Once he pulled her back up, Aira quickly gave Bombur a teasing sneer and he just chuckled and winked at her. Kili twirled Aira around before taking her by the hand and the waist and leading her around the inside of the circle._

_This continued as she moved to Dwalin, Thorin, then Bofur and Fili. Aira was able to dance with everyone in the circle twice; each time being passed off to the next Dwarf in a more interesting way than the previous one after Bombur's little trick, as if they were trying to out-do each other. The most interesting methods were done by Kili, Dwalin, Bofur and Fili._

_Kili, once his short dance with Aira was almost done, had actually swept her up into his arms and handed her off to Dwalin._

_Dwalin then had moved Aira and himself close to the opposite side of the loop, picked her up, twisted around and actually threw her in the air like a throwing hammer. Aira shrieked in alarm as she soared to the other side and was caught by Thorin, but once she was back on the ground, she found herself laughing gaily at the fun rush she felt from that._

_After Thorin handed her off to Bofur, he simply twirled her around and around and gently nudged her over to Fili while she continued to spin._

_Fili, in a way, initiated the finale of the song, which was very close to concluding. After his fun little dance with Aira, he led her to the middle of the circle, knelt down, grabbed hold of her legs and made her sit on his shoulder. Then, mustering all the strength in his legs, he stood up, holding Aira up high on his shoulder for everyone to see as the final notes of the music sounded in the air. In seeing the birthday Princess above them, all of the Dwarves there began to cheer and applaud for her as well as everyone who had participated._

_Aira felt her happy smile spreading farther along her face. This birthday celebration had definitely been different than any of the others she'd had in the past. To her, this one was becoming the best birthday gala she'd ever had. Sharing such a merry time with her family and close friends was so wonderful to her and the group dance that had just ended had made her cheerfulness escalate even more._

_The older Dwarves in the loop made their way over to the table where Balin, Oin, Gloin, Dori and Bifur were sitting, wanting to join them, on the other side of the long table where the kegs of ale were. Aira was left with Fili, Kili and Ori, who were all smiling, laughing and having a wonderful time._

_"I think this has been the best birthday gala you've had so far, Aira!" said Ori._

_"I couldn't agree more," Aira replied._

_"I expected you to have a different thought," Fili said to her, "seeing as how you were just pushed, shoved and thrown about in that last dance."_

_Aira just laughed. "Oh, no," she said, "I actually found all that rather enjoyable. It was new and refreshing; unexpected. I thought it was fun!"_

_Kili then straightened up and said, pretending to be overly proud, "Luckily you had me to catch you after Bombur catapulted you with his stomach."_

_Ori scoffed. "That was just a lucky catch!" he stated._

_"Well, lucky or not, he still managed to not drop me and I have to thank him for that," Aira said sweetly, wrapping her arms around Kili's waist and hugging him. _

_"I'm going to go grab us some drinks," Fili told them as he began to walk away._

_"That'd be wonderful, thank you, Fili," Aira called out. _

_With that, Fili left his three friends and made his way to the table that had the kegs of ale._

* * *

**Fili's POV (past)**

_As Fili began filling the mugs on the table with ale, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation the older Dwarves were having on the other side of the keg._

_"Has it really been fourteen years already?" he heard Oin ask._

_"Aye, it has," answered Thorin._

_"My, how time does fly!" exclaimed Dori._

_"It seems only yesterday that you took Aira in as just a wee little Dwarf lass," said Bofur. "Now, look at her. She's grown so much."_

_Balin mumbled in agreement. "She's blossoming into a lovely young lady."_

"And she looks very much like a Princess, especially in that dress," _said Bifur in Khuzdul._

_Thorin chuckled. "She has Fili and Kili to thank for that. The two of them bought her that dress themselves as her birthday gift."_

_"You know, I've been wondering about those two and their association with Aira," said Gloin._

_Fili's ears perked up, all of a sudden curious as to what Gloin meant. He set down the last mug he had filled and crouched behind a keg next to a bush, closer to where the other Dwarves were, to hear their conversation._

_"What do you mean?" asked Thorin._

_"Well, Aira is very close with your nephews; they're the best of friends. But have you ever considered the possibility of her ever ending up with one of them? That can sometimes happen in situations like this, especially now that they're all getting older."_

_Fili felt his breath catch in his throat. That was what Gloin was thinking about, if Aira would someday end up with him or his brother? But then he himself began to think about it. Gloin did have a point; it did seem like a possibility, but Fili didn't know what to think about it._

_"I have considered it every now and then," Thorin responded to Gloin. "But it seems to me that they have a strong bond of friendship and I do not know if any of them would want anything more than that. They all seem content with it right now."_

_"I don't know, lad, Gloin did make a good point," said Dwalin. "They are_ _getting older and growing up and sometimes a young Dwarf's thoughts, whether male or female, can change towards even a best friend as you grow up. They may see each other as just that now, but that could very well change in a few years."_

_"You seem so certain of that," Thorin pointed out, a hint of teasing in his voice._

_"It is possible," Balin said in agreement with his brother._

_"The only question is: which brother do we think Aira would fall for?" asked Bofur._

"Oh, Mahal, I don't believe this…!" _Fili thought to himself. They were seriously about to discuss, between him and Kili, which of the two of them Aira could possibly end up with in the future? He debated on whether or not he wanted to keep listening, but the conversation quickly continued._

_"I think it would be Fili," said Dori. "He's the oldest of the two Princes and a bit more mature than his brother. He could also potentially be a King in the future and I think it would be nice to see Airaním as a Queen."_

_"Fili is a good choice," Balin said back, "but, personally, I believe she'll choose Kili. They are closer in age and are going through changes in maturity differently than Fili because he is the oldest of the three."_

_Nori then spoke up, "If you ask me, even though she's close with both of them, Aira seems to be a little closer to Kili and that, I think, would help lead to something more in the future."_

_"I agree with Dori, though," Dwalin said. "Even though I do not doubt Kili's ability to take care of her, I think Fili would be who she'd choose because he already does well in looking after her and his brother and that's a fine quality in a young male suitor."_

_"Well, bless me," cried Bofur, "it seems that we all think differently about this. What say you, lads, to a friendly little wager concerning the Princess and her possible future choice between the two Princes?"_

_At that moment, Fili had to bite down hard on his tongue to keep himself from shouting. They were now making a wager on them?! He was beyond astounded! However, he couldn't tell if it was in an angry way or amused way._

_A quick second passed before all the comrades shouted, "Aye!"_

* * *

"What did everyone wager?" Aira asked anxiously as Fili was finishing his tale.

He chuckled. "Well, it was quite interesting," he said. "The group of them ended up splitting their choices evenly. There were five betting on you choosing me and then five on you choosing Kili."

"Tell us!" said Kili.

"The ones that betted on me were Dwalin, Bifur, Bombur, Dori and Oin. Then the others that betted on you were Thorin, Bofur, Balin, Nori and Gloin."

"How much did they all bet?" asked Aira.

"I actually didn't catch that. After they all voiced their votes, I grabbed our drinks and met back up with you two and Ori, thinking I'd been gone long enough and I didn't want to get caught eavesdropping."

Aira pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. The nerve of those Dwarves…! "I cannot believe that those old codgers actually placed _bets_ on such a thing!" she exclaimed. Then she looked to Fili. "And you knew all this time; you knew of this for fifty-six years!"

"I know, I just wanted to see what would happen before I said anything. But, honestly, if I could've put in a vote, it would've been for Kili, not me."

Kili's eyes widened in surprise. "But—but why?" he asked, unbelieving of what his brother had just stated.

Fili smiled at him. "I always knew that, if Aira _was_ to fall for one of us, it would be you. I agreed with what Nori had said that night: you and Aira are a bit closer than she and I are and I figured that would actually help lead to something more. Besides, the more I thought about it after that night, I actually didn't ever want Aira to choose me if it came to it. By that time, she had become so much like a sister to me that I couldn't ever see us being anything more than that, nor did I want that to change." He then looked at Aira and gave her a dear, caring glance, showing both her and Kili that he meant every word.

Aira returned his gaze. "Fili, you're such a darling!" she exclaimed as she embraced him. After she pulled away, she looked back and forth between the brothers and said to them, "You know, I wonder what our friends would've done had I not fallen for either of you."

"They would be at an impasse, I suppose," Kili responded.

"You know what…?" Aira said, her face suddenly brightening up. "I think I have an idea…!"

The two Princes looked at her, curious.

"Here, let me go back to my room and get dressed and then in five minutes I'll come back and tell you!" Fili and Kili nodded to her and, with that, Aira ran out of the room.

* * *

**Thorin's POV**

Thorin was slowly walking down a hallway, a pleased grin etched on his face as he kept thinking back to everything that had happened back in his nephews' room with Aira and them.

Normally that sort of tomfoolery would've made him irritated, but, for some reason, it was different this time. This time, he found he actually _enjoyed _playing around with the three young Dwarves. He had done so often when they were children, but that had ceased as the years went on and they began to grow older. Now, after having done so again only moments ago, he could feel a familiar, almost-forgotten feeling of warmth and contentment in his chest that reminded him of those days years ago. Their fun-loving behavior was just what he had needed and he had spoken the truth when he had told the three young ones that he was glad their cheerfulness had not run out.

His eyes looked over and he found Ori sitting on a chair by the wall, drawing in his leather-bound sketchbook.

"Enjoying yourself, Ori?" Thorin asked him.

Ori looked up from his book quickly and responded, "Yes, I am. I love drawing in the mornings."

Thorin gave him a courteous nod and continued to walk by. But, as he looked back over his shoulder, he took notice of the picture Ori was drawing and stopped in his tracks, taken aback by what he saw. He turned back and looked over Ori's shoulder, staring at the drawing.

"What is this…?" he asked, making the young Dwarf flinch as he looked back.

Ori hesitated for a moment, nervous about how to answer the Dwarf King. But Ori was a kindhearted Dwarf, he couldn't lie to anyone. "I saw it," he replied to Thorin.

"When?"

"Last night."

"You are sure?"

"Yes, sir. I can only draw things I see or have seen."

Thorin looked back to the picture, his curiosity about it rising more and more as he continued to stare at it, astounded.

"Ori…," he said, placing a hand on Ori's shoulder, grasping a part of his knitted sweater and pulling him to his feet, "bring your book and come with me."

* * *

**Aira's POV**

Just as Aira had promised, she returned to Fili and Kili's room now wearing a violet and white Elvish gown. Both the brother's thought that it made her hair color appear brighter and it made her eyes stand out even more.

"You look lovely in that dress, Aira," Fili said, bowing to her as she entered and Kili followed suit.

"You're too kind, lads," Aira replied as she shut the door behind her and walked over to them. She noticed that Fili and Kili had both changed into their clothes as well.

"You look _very_ lovely!" Kili exclaimed, trying to be cheeky. Then he pulled her to him and kissed her without a second thought.

"All right…!" Fili said loudly, causing Kili and Aira to pull apart and grin at him. Then he pointed a finger at the both of them and said, "Just because I approve of you two doesn't mean you can just always kiss each other right in front of me."

Aira rolled her eyes and let out a pretend sigh of frustration. "Oh, all right!" she whined.

Just then there was a loud knock at the door.

"Come in!" Fili called.

The door swung open and the three of them were surprised to see Thorin and Ori standing in the doorway. It was a bit of an odd pairing.

"Good, all three of you are still here," said Thorin as he and Ori walked in.

"What's going on, Thorin?" Aira asked inquiringly.

Thorin gestured to Ori next to him who was clutching his sketchbook to his chest. "Ori here has something that we both want you to see."

Aira, Kili and Fili all turned their attention to Ori, who grew slightly timid again at the fact that all eyes were on him now.

"I saw this last night…," he said shyly as he pulled a piece of parchment from his book. "I was going to show it to you later in private, but Thorin caught me." He held out the parchment to Aira, still looking nervous and almost embarrassed.

_"What's on here that could make Ori feel embarrassed?" _Aira wondered as she took the paper from him. She looked down at it and Fili and Kili glanced at it over her shoulders. It was a drawing of two people; a man and a woman standing on a bridge together with their hands intertwined and their foreheads were touching. They looked like they were in love.

Suddenly, Aira's jaw dropped as it dawned on her. The bridge…the man's long, dark hair…the woman's braided curls…their close, loving position….

It was her and Kili.

.

**SURPRISE! :D**

**The Dwarf who saw them on the bridge was Ori!**

**Didn't see that one coming, did ya? ;D Everyone who guessed said Thorin, Balin or Dwalin...oh boy, did I get ya'll good! ;D**

**Hope you all liked it! Reviews and PM's are much appreciated, and a huge thank you to everyone who's left reviews :) You're all wonderful people!**


	20. All Good Fun

**Wow, over 100 followers and over 15,000 views for this story? :D That is truly incredible! Thank you all for your support, that makes me very happy!**

**And a very big thank you to my loyal reviewers: ZabuzasGirl, mrsmiawallace88, MusicalDreamerx and midnight faye-wolf! You all are such sweet and wonderful people and I can't thank you enough for your continued support! :) And also thank you to all my new reviewers, you guys are so great!**

**Oh, what a chapter this will be! And...there will be a little twist at the end...! That's all I'm gonna say ;)**

**Can you tell I like surprising my readers? ;D (hehe!)**

**.**

"What in the world?" Aira gasped as she gaped at Ori.

"Ori, what is this?" asked Kili. "How did you see us?"

Fili said nothing, but looked to Thorin with concern. Thorin just stared back at him for a moment before looking away, the emotion in his face very hard to read.

Ori turned red and lowered his gaze, once again embarrassed. "I—I was just going out for a walk last night, and…I was passing by the bridge when I saw you two. It looked like you were arguing, at first, and then…I saw what happened afterwards."

"You watched us the whole time?" Aira asked with a firm voice.

Then he grew worried that they would get mad at him and began to sputter out, "I didn't mean to watch! I was just so shocked and…I got curious."

"And you saw everything?" Kili then questioned.

Ori gave him a slight nod. "Up until the two of you left the bridge," he admitted, "but I didn't hear anything! I was too far away, I couldn't hear anything."

Aira sighed and glanced back down at the drawing. She had always known that Ori was a talented artist, but in looking at the picture, she just marveled at just how truly talented he really was. Not only had he drawn her and Kili well in terms of actual appearance, but the hidden things were apparent as well. Even though it was their profiles and their eyes were closed, she could see the happiness and love in their faces. It made her heart feel warm in her chest, knowing now what she and Kili looked like together, even if the moment Ori had captured was only briefly after they had confessed their feelings for each other.

In her head, she had to admit that she wasn't actually angry at her friend for seeing her and Kili. She was just startled at the fact that they _had_, in fact, been seen and was maybe being a little too hard on him.

"I'm sorry," Ori said to Aira and Kili, his puppy-like eyes turning sad and worried. "I know it—it was wrong of me, but once I saw you both kiss and how happy and in love you looked, I just couldn't help it. I saw that and wanted to remember it so I could…make a portrait of it later because I thought it was so—so beautiful and I was happy for you both. Please don't be angry with me…."

Aira and Kili looked at each other, both noticing how ashamed Ori was feeling. In a second they could tell that they were both thinking the same thing.

She turned back to Ori and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Ori," she said with a sweet smile, "we could never be angry with you!" Then she quickly pulled him into an embrace, which surprised him.

When they pulled away, Kili placed a hand on his other shoulder and told him, "You did nothing wrong. I suppose both of us were a bit startled at the fact we had been seen when we didn't know it and we didn't mean to come across as angry at you."

Aira held up his picture. "This is really beautiful," she said. "You truly have a gift, my friend."

Ori's worried expression vanished when he smiled gratefully. "You can keep it, if you like," he exclaimed brightly. "I was going to offer it to you anyway."

"I think I will!" Aira replied.

Then Ori looked back and forth between her and Kili and told them in a hushed voice, "And don't worry, I won't say anything to the others. I know that you'd want them to hear it from you and not anyone else."

They both thanked him and, seeing as how things were cleared up, Ori left the room, not feeling guilty anymore.

After watching her friend leave, Aira met Thorin's wondering gaze. _"And now there's Thorin to deal with…,"_ she thought to herself, now tensing up a little. All she, Kili and Fili could do was stare at him nervously.

"So…," Thorin simply said, placing his hands behind his back and taking a couple steps towards them. Then he glanced back at Aira and then at Kili. "You two are together now?"

Kili nodded. "Yes, Uncle," he said, trying to sound secure despite his nervousness.

Thorin turned his attention to Aira. "When did this happen?"

"We both realized that we felt differently about each other back in the Shire," Aira answered him.

He just nodded, interested. "And what took place last night that Ori saw?"

Aira opened her mouth to answer, but Kili stepped forward and said with confidence, "Everyone was retiring for the night, but I saw Aira had wandered off and I followed her to the bridge. I was going to tell her how I felt about her. After everything that had happened, I realized I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. However, we started off arguing about how she stayed behind to fight the Wargs, and that was my fault. But then I couldn't take it any longer and I kissed her and told her…that I loved her."

Aira was amazed at Kili for being so firm in telling Thorin the truth. She looked at Thorin and his expression simply appeared attentive. He wasn't saying a word; only listening.

Kili continued, "Aira then confessed the same for me after I did. Then we left the bridge and went for a swim in a nearby pond."

"After that, Kili had asked me to spend the night with him," Aira chimed in, earning a wide-eyed, shocked look from Thorin. She immediately held up her hands defensively and told him, "We swear by Mahal that nothing happened! We merely slept and nothing more, just as we have been since the start of this journey."

"Is that why you were in here this morning when I came in?"

"Yes. Kili and I woke up and found Fili was already awake and he began teasing us. That was what led to the wrestling match you walked in on."

Thorin turned his eyes to Fili, his eyebrows raised.

Fili saw this and explained, "I had heard them both come into the room in the middle of the night and get into the bed and I knew what had happened. Once they awoke, I was just being funny and teasing them about…_certain_ things, even though I knew nothing happened. It was all just good fun."

"I see," was Thorin's response. He looked down to the floor, contemplating everything the three young Dwarves had just told him. "You know that love is a very complicated emotion," he said as a caution to Kili and Aira, his eyes still looking down, "and can often be confused for other sorts of feelings."

"Yes, we do," Kili responded, "but Aira and I are absolutely _certain_ that what we feel is love." He reached down and took Aira's hand in his, giving her a reassuring grasp. Then he turned back to his uncle. "What I feel for Aira is unlike anything I have ever felt for anyone. I know her better than I know myself, so I had already come to love everything about her before that night in the Shire. I just didn't realize it until then. My life feels complete now that we're together. _I_ feel complete when I am with her."

Aira, being filled with such great admiration for Kili, let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist, thankful for his words of devotion. She felt Kili's arm move around her shoulders and nudge her back.

Thorin eyes the met Aira's. "And what do _you_ have to say?" he inquired, raising his eyebrows again.

Staring steadfastly into Thorin's eyes, Aira replied, "I love Kili. I _know_ I love him, Thorin. I've never been more certain of anything else lately. When we were together last night, everything felt right; like it was meant to be and I believe that. I know you may think we're too young to understand what love is, but I don't think we are. My feelings for him are so strong that I feel there is no other way to describe them other than as love. To echo what Kili said: my life feels entirely whole now and I feel complete with him. I do not hesitate in saying so."

Now it was Kili's turn to feel overcome with exceeding adoration for Aira. A smile came across his face and he planted a soft kiss in her hair.

They both glanced at Thorin, wondering what he would say, considering the fact of whether or not he was angry or happy about everything they had just told him still being hard for them to read in the expression on his face.

Finally, after an almost uneasy, silent moment passed, Thorin looked up from the floor and at Aira. "You're right, Aira," he stated, "I do believe that you both are too young to understand what love is…."

Aira looked at Kili, both of them noticing the worry in each other's faces.

"…but it appears I am mistaken."

The eyes of all three young Dwarves suddenly grew large in surprise. Did Thorin just admit he was mistaken; that he was wrong about something?! That just about _never_ happened! Aira, Kili and Fili all gawked at him, wide-eyed at his response.

He then went on to say, "In hearing how you two spoke of each other, it is clear to me that you _do _understand what love is and that there is more wisdom to be found in youth than I had supposed."

Seeing grins of realization inching upward on the young ones' faces, Thorin grinned himself and continued, "Us older Dwarves tend to believe that, when you are young, you do not understand as many things as we do. But, in instances such as this, we find that young ones actually know more than we think. Therefore, I have no reason to doubt your certainty in your feelings for one another."

"So…you are not angry, then?" Aira hesitantly asked.

Thorin shook his head. "I could never be angry at either of you for finding love, especially when you found it with each other." He held out both of his hands to them and they stepped forward. Thorin took Aira's hand in one of his and laid the other on Kili's shoulder. "Kili, Aira, I truly am happy for you both and I give you my blessing."

"That means more to us than any of the treasure in Erebor, Uncle Thorin!" Kili said to him, smiling gladly and pulling the Dwarf King into a tight, grateful embrace.

Aira turned her head to see Fili moving next to her and they shared a glad glance. Fili then moved an arm around her waist and she placed a hand on his back as they proudly watched Kili and Thorin hug each other.

Thorin then turned to Aira and she smiled at him as he pulled her into his embrace next. "Thank you, Thorin," she said to him as she thankfully kissed his cheek.

"I couldn't help but notice that all _three_ of you," he said, stealing a look over at Fili on the side, "looked a little worried there."

"When it comes to matters like this, it's sometimes hard to know what your reaction will be," Fili responded.

Thorin nodded. Then he turned back to the couple in front of him. "I will admit, I was perhaps surprised a bit when I first noticed Ori's portrait and he told me he had seen you two, but then I supposed that something like this was bound to happen eventually."

Aira crossed her arms, rolled her eyes and said with a sardonic tone, "Oh, we know _all_ about that!"

Thorin looked at her quizzically.

To clarify, Aira said to him, "Fili told us about the little wager you and the other Dwarves made about the three of us during my twentieth birthday gala."

Now it was Fili's turn to be on the receiving end of Thorin's confused expression.

"I overheard you all making the bet, so I've known about it all along," said Fili.

_"Typical…I should've known,"_ Thorin said to himself in his head as he felt the corners of his lips twitch. But then something dawned on him. "Fili, tell me," he said to get his oldest nephew's attention, "who were the ones that placed their vote on Kili in our old wager?"

Fili grinned, knowing where this was heading. His eyes rolled up to look at the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought, before he replied, "I do believe it was Balin, Bofur, Gloin, Nori and…you!"

The Princes and the Princess had never seen their King look so pleased! In that moment, he almost seemed to stand a little taller as his chest puffed out and his proud smile grew wider. His hands once again wrapped around to his back and he stated, "Well, that is certainly a delightful thing to hear. Once Dwalin finds out, his reaction will be a sight to see."

"Why Dwalin?" asked Kili.

"You all know that Dwalin is my closest friend and companion," said Thorin, to which they all nodded, "and we hardly disagree on anything. This wager that we all made years ago is, I think, the only thing that we have ever not agreed upon."

"And clearly you're getting great pleasure in knowing that, in your very first, so-called, 'competition' with him, _you_ are the victor!" Aira declared, finishing his thought for him as she could very well point out the obvious.

A very unfamiliar, devious smirk spread across Thorin's face as he replied, "Exactly."

Aira's eyes rolled again and she smiled. _"Sometimes these older Dwarves are so ridiculous…!"_ she thought playfully.

"You are going to tell the others, aren't you?" Thorin asked.

Kili nodded his head. "We were talking about that when Fili told us about the wager. And then, before you and Ori showed up, Aira said that she had an idea."

"That's right!" Aira exclaimed, remembering she had in fact said that.

However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a knock on the door, which was still open. Everyone turned and saw that Ori had returned, peeking his head in through the doorway.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said in a squeaky voice, "but Mister Dwalin wanted me to let you all know that he and the others are going to do some sparring soon if you wanted to join them."

Thorin gave Ori a nod and thanked him for informing them.

Ori started to leave, but Aira called his name and asked the lad to join them for a moment. He obeyed and came into the room, making his way next to her.

"Perfect timing, my friend! I have a plan on how to tell the company about Kili and me…," she told him, "but I think we should have a little fun with it and I want _you_ to be a part of it."

Ori, Thorin, Fili and Kili all looked at her, confused and curious.

"Should I be worried…?" Ori hesitantly asked.

Aira shook her head. "Of course not, it will be all good fun!"

Kili narrowed his eyes and gazed at her in wonder. "What's going on in your head, love?"

She just raised her eyebrows, smirked and answered, "Well, I will tell you."

* * *

Out in the foyer just a few corridors down from Fili and Kili's room, the remainder of the company was all sitting around smoking, drinking or sharpening their weapons, getting ready for their sparring after Thorin and the young Dwarves all arrived. They knew that, because they were going to be there for a week's time, they had to have something to do during their stay that suited them. For Dwarves, whenever they needed anything to do to occupy their time, weapons training was always the answer.

Within moments, they all saw Ori and Aira coming around the corner with Fili, Kili and Thorin right behind them, all of them carrying their weapons and looking cheerful.

"There you all are," said Balin, standing up from the chair in which he was seated. "We were starting to wonder if you were coming."

Oin looked up at Aira, holding up his ear trumpet, and asked her, "Aira, do you think you're quite up to training due to your injury?" Being the company's medic, he was one of the members of the company that was most concerned about her and her condition.

Aira replied, "I don't feel the pain as much anymore, so I suppose we'll see. I, at least, would like to try. I do need to work on my training a little, but I do fear the wound may re-open if I'm not careful. Still wouldn't hurt to try, though."

"It's very good to see that you're still doing well," said Dori, holding up his wine goblet.

"And looking rather bright and chipper, if you ask me!" piped Bofur merrily.

She gave them a gracious tilt of the head and said in response, "I certainly _feel _bright and chipper, especially this morning!"

"Oh…? And why is that?" asked Dwalin.

Aira grinned. "Well…I have something I want to tell you all. Actually, I and one of the lads behind me have something to tell you." She looked up to see Gandalf, Bilbo and Elrond were entering the foyer just as she said this. Now she was starting to get excited.

The three of them along with the other Dwarves all leaned forward, waiting for her to continue and their curiosity bubbling up inside them. They all certainly had an idea of what she was going to say.

Aira and the Dwarves behind her all set their weapons down. Then Aira turned to the boys behind her, held out her welcome hand and one of them took it, grinning as he did so. She pulled him up next to her, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as he put his across her shoulders and cried out with glee, "Ori and I are together now!"

The reactions from the rest of the company were nothing short of shocked, startled and just downright flabbergasted.

Dori had just taken a sip of his wine and sprayed it all over Gloin's face, which caused him to cry out and shield his face. Oin had also received a few drops of wine to the face, as well.

Dwalin, Bofur and Balin all stood up and shouted, "_What_?!"

Bifur, Bilbo, Gandalf and Elrond all raised their eyebrows in surprise and stared at them wide-eyed. Bombur also stared at them with his large jaw hanging wide open and Nori was so shocked that he actually fell backwards out of his chair and onto the floor.

After giving them a second to gain their composure, Aira said to them, "We're sorry, everyone, that we didn't tell you sooner. But…we only realized that we had feelings for each other just last night. We'd been keeping them bottled up for so long." Then she and Ori shared a happy gaze at one another.

"Ori!" Dori shouted once he was done choking on his drink while Nori was patting him on the back, now that he was up off the floor. "We've always known that you and Aira were friends, but…you never once let on you actually had _feelings_ for her!" Luckily, they didn't sound angry; just still in shock.

Ori shrugged his shoulders and said to his brothers, who were both staring at him, "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I was too afraid to say anything. I was worried about what you'd say…plus, I've never been good at talking to ladies much."

"But you found the courage to say something to me," said Aira sweetly, resting her head on his shoulder.

It was then Balin stole a look behind them at Fili, Kili and Thorin. They were all looking either down at the floor or off to the side, shielding their eyes from the others. That made the older Dwarf rather suspicious.

"Is this really true?" Dwalin asked Ori and Aira. "You two really are together?"

"It is true, Dwalin, I swear," said Aira.

Balin took a step forward, placed his hands on his hips and said to them, "Then why don't you two young ones prove it?"

Both Aira and Ori looked at him, taken aback at his sudden request. "What? You don't believe us?" asked Ori.

"I do…," Balin answered, narrowing his eyes, "but I still would like to see some definite proof, just to be sure."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Ori stated.

"I think we're all right," said Aira, joining in his protesting.

But then Bofur stood up. "Oh, come now!" he exclaimed. "You two can't show us just one little kiss?"

They heard light snickering behind them followed by Kili's voice saying, "Yes, give the company a kiss!"

"They would love to see _that_!" Fili added.

Aira closed her eyes and inwardly growled at them. They were certainly having a little too much fun teasing her. She and Ori faced each other and shrugged, supposing they had no choice but to comply with their friends' requests. Aira lifted her hands gently to Ori's cheeks and they slowly leaned towards each other.

_"By the gods, they're really going to do it!"_ was the main thought that ran through everyone's minds as their suspense intensified watching them.

Their lips were only inches away when they started to tighten and quiver. Finally, neither of them could take it anymore and just suddenly burst out into loud, hyper laughter. Aira's hands dropped from Ori's face and clutched at his shirt as she buried her face in his chest, trying to suppress her wild laughing.

They glanced at everyone else and now they were even more confused than they had been just a second ago. They were all completely lost.

"Ori, I just realized:" Aira cried, lifting her head up, her voice hinted with pretend comprehension, "_we_ cannot be together! It's not an option; it would not work for everyone else…," Now she turned and faced the others. "…since I'm _supposed_ to end up with Fili or Kili in their little _wager_ they have about me!"

All four of the young Dwarves just then pointed fingers at the others with jeering laughter at their now stunned expressions. Even Thorin was standing there chuckling at his companions. They had tricked them and tricked them good!

"You fools should see your faces!" Kili, who was leaning on his brother to keep himself steady, exclaimed through a laugh.

Gloin then stammered out, "How—how did—how did you find out about that?"

Fili stepped forward boldly. "I had overheard everything you all said that night at Aira's birthday celebration."

"Then he informed me of it just this morning," Aira put in. "I wondered what would've happened had I not taken either path with Fili or Kili and chose someone else instead. And did Ori and I hoodwink you good!" Then she began to point at every Dwarf in front of her as she said, "That'll teach you sorry lot to not place money on my love life!"

Dwalin looked over, with eyes still wide open, at Thorin, gestured to the young ones and asked, "And Thorin, you were in on this, too?"

Thorin grinned widely and gave one nod of the head. "Indeed, I was," was his simple reply.

Everyone just continued shaking their heads. They couldn't believe that Aira, Fili and Kili had found out about the wager and had pulled the wool over their eyes while involving both Ori and Thorin.

"Now, hold up just a minute!" cried Nori, holding up his hands to get everyone's attention. All eyes looked at him. He went on, "Fili told Aira about the bet, which must mean that she's made a choice, just like we guessed! Why else would he tell her about it if that wasn't the case?"

Bofur pointed at Nori with his pipe and said in regards to his statement, "Aye, I think Nori has a point!" Then he turned to face the younger Dwarves. He lifted his eyebrows at them and asked with a very curious tone, "Does he speak true, Miss Aira…?"

Aira smiled her usual bright smile and replied, "Yes, Bofur, he certainly does."

Everyone's curiosity peaked again.

Ori stepped off to the side and let the two Princes move up beside the Princess, Fili being the one standing closest to Aira. She was about ready to move when Fili had reached down and grabbed her hand. He wasn't quite done with the fun of messing with the company. He bent over, lifted up her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, grinning up at her as he did so.

Aira noticed this and felt her lips move up as well. She knew what he was doing.

A couple of satisfied grunts and chuckles began sounding from the others, but then Fili turned to them and said, still grinning, "Sorry, lads…but Kili wins the heart of the Princess!" He led her around the front of him over to where Kili was standing, both of them beaming gladly.

As Aira came around to him, Kili pulled her up against him by her waist and held her there, pressed his other hand to her cheek and brought his mouth to hers firmly right in front of the entire company. Aira's hands moved up to his shoulders and she returned the kiss with great enthusiasm.

Now there was applause and cheers from everyone, even from those who knew they had lost the wager. They all knew that Aira was just bound to fall for one of the Princes, it seemed inevitable. It didn't matter which Prince they thought she'd choose; what mattered was that she was happy with her choice and they could ultimately see that in the way she had smiled at Kili before he had kissed her and the way that she was clinging to him as she kissed him back.

"Ah, young love!" exclaimed Bofur with a merry voice.

"A rather beautiful thing, indeed!" Balin said to concur with Bofur.

Aira and Kili pulled apart, but then he quickly pecked her lips once more, just for good measure, which made her giggle, and he started fingering one of her braids by her ear. What made her even happier was the fact that he had kissed her without hesitation; he was not afraid to show his affection for her in front of the others. That, in turn, made her not afraid to react to it the way she did.

Aira's gaze wandered to the back and met Gandalf and Elrond's, remembering their advice from the previous day about telling Kili the truth. They both bowed their heads to her and smiled as if to say, _"We told you so."_ She just smirked back at them.

Then she looked down at Bilbo standing next to Gandalf. Having no knowledge of the wager whatsoever, he was looking rather lost. But once he noticed Aira looking at him, his expression changed and he gave her a very pleasant grin that she gave back in return.

She looked back to the others and said, "Now, if my memory serves correct, I believe that Dori, Oin, Bifur, Bombur and Dwalin all have to pay up, seeing as they placed their bets on me choosing Fili!"

The losers all rolled their eyes, knowing they were defeated and started fishing for their money in their pockets.

"Just out of curiosity, how much money did you all wager?" asked Kili, who still had an arm around Aira's waist and holding her close to him.

"Ten pieces of silver," answered Thorin behind them.

Kili, Aira and Fili's eyes all about popped out of their heads.

"_Ten_ pieces of silver?!" Aira repeated. "Good gracious, I didn't think you lot were _that_ serious about this bet!"

"You all are mad!" Fili exclaimed.

However, they still felt pleased as they watched the other Dwarves exchanging their pouches of winnings. Bifur tossed his over the table to Balin, who was sitting back in his chair, and he caught it, simply grinning. Oin handed his money bag to Gloin and then stuffed his ear horn with a napkin to muffle the sound of his brother's triumphant laughter. Bombur snatched Bofur's hat off of his head, dropped his jingling pouch into it and then shoved it back onto Bofur's head, making him cry out and the younger Dwarves snickered. Then Dori just tossed his bag up into the air and Nori, who was still standing behind his chair, caught it with a proud look in his eye.

Thorin stepped out from behind the young Dwarves and approached Dwalin standing closest to them. "Our first little competition and it appears _you_ have lost," he boasted at him.

Dwalin scoffed nonchalantly and replied, "Well, I guess that goes to show you just can't ever beat the King!" With that, he handed a pouch of money to Thorin and then lightly punched him on the shoulder for his bragging, not to mention the teasing look he was giving him.

"You all are ludicrous…!" Aira said to them with a joking tone of voice. Deep down, she knew that it was all good fun and she couldn't help but laugh at it herself.

Just then, they heard footsteps approaching and saw Lindir coming up behind Elrond and he started whispering something in the Elf Lord's ear.

Thinking it was something not meant for them, Dwalin announced, "Well, now that that's all settled, how about we get to sparring now?"

"I concur," said Thorin, picking up Orcrist from where he had set it down.

The rest of the company, including Bilbo, all nodded and voiced their agreements, gathered their weapons and began to move out in a single file line out of the foyer.

Elrond, however, approached Aira and said, "Aira, my dear, I would like to speak with you for a moment before you join your companions."

"Oh, all right," Aira responded, wondering what he wanted her for. She turned to Kili, who gave her a curious look after Elrond's request, and told him, "Go on, Kili, I'll catch up with you soon."

"Don't take too long," he replied before stealing a quick kiss from her and then running off with Fili, who gave her a little smile, to join the others.

Aira couldn't help but think, _"I love those two so much!"_ as she watched them leave. Then she pivoted around to face Elrond, ready to hear what he wanted to talk to her about.

"I would like you to follow me," he said as he turned and walked away from her, gesturing with his hand for her to come with him.

_"What's going on? Why do we have to do this now?"_ Aira wondered. Right now she wanted to be with her company training, especially because she wanted to get a feel for the sword Thorin had given to her. But she didn't want to offend Elrond, so she followed after him anyway.

He led her through a few corridors and soon she could see they were approaching the entrance to the city; the same entrance they had come to when Elrond had brought her to Rivendell and same for the company. Down at the bottom of the stairs was a figure clothed in a black cloak and hood, standing next to a small, white horse.

"Lindir informed me that a good friend of mine has just returned," said Elrond as they started to descend the long staircase, "and, if I am not mistaken, I believe you know her, as well, and I thought you would be pleased to see her."

"Her?" Aira asked. She began to rack her brain, trying to think of anyone of her gender that both she and Elrond could both possibly know. There was no one that came to mind and she wondered how that could be. He was an Elf Lord and she was a Dwarf Woman from the Blue Mountains. There was really nothing in common between the two of them, so how could they both have a mutual friend?

Elrond said nothing as they made their down to the platform. He motioned for Aira to stay put while he approached the cloaked woman, who had her back turned to them. Elrond said something to her in Elvish and she turned and embraced him before answering him in the same language.

It was then Aira noticed that the woman was actually rather short, which seemed quite odd. Surely, the woman couldn't be an Elf or a female of the race of Men. The only options left were that she could be a Dwarf or a Hobbit, but then that made Aira wonder what on earth a Dwarf or a Hobbit outside of her company would be doing in Rivendell.

Elrond then said something to the woman, once again in Elvish, and then gestured to Aira with his head. The woman turned to look at her, but the light was shining behind the woman so Aira couldn't quite see her face.

There was a gasp and the woman cried out, "Aira! Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's you!" She then pulled off her hood and Aira gasped.

Underneath the hood was a rather lovely young woman with a slender face, long dark brown, almost black, hair that fell to her shoulders, amber eyes and a bright smile. Hers was a face that Aira had not seen in quite a while and was shocked to see here in an Elven city.

The last time Aira had seen her was over a year ago in Rohan.

Once she found her voice again, Aira gasped out gladly:

"Maori…?"

.

**Remember Maori...? ;D**

**(Chapter 10, just before the song, in case you don't)**

**I do hope you enjoyed such a fun and lighthearted chapter! :D**

**Drop me a review or a PM, my dears! I enjoy getting such great and positive feedback from you all, they always make my day! :)**


	21. Necessary Deception

**This is just another filler chapter...and forgive me if everything in Rivendell starts seeming to be a bit drawn out as the story continues.**

**As usual, the ride in this chapter will consist of a couple twists and turns... ;)**

**And I suppose I should now add a new disclaimer: I own nothing except Airaním and now, my newest character, Maori!**

**.**

The two young friends cried out in gladness and threw their arms around each other, laughing and screaming merrily. It had been quite some time since they had last seen each other and they both were so full of excitement at being reunited. Aira did wince a little at the slight pain that sprung from her side from Maori's tight grasp, but she just ignored it. She was too happy about seeing her dear friend again to think about it.

"My dear Maori," Aira exclaimed as they pulled away, "what on earth are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Maori replied.

Aira held up a finger to her. "Now, now, I asked _you_ first!" She realized that sounded just a little childish, but she knew Maori wouldn't mind. Maori was actually three years older than Aira at seventy-nine years old but she still had a rather child-like personality about her, just like Fili and Kili did. That was why the two women got along so well. Even though she was a half-Dwarf, she still aged the same as a regular Dwarf and had the same lifespan.

Maori nodded her head to Aira and said in response to her question, "I live here now."

"You do?" Aira asked, surprised and curious. "Why? Did something happen in Rohan?"

"No, not at all," said Maori. "After we last parted ways, I decided to do a little wandering myself. I came to Rivendell and Lord Elrond," she said, gesturing to Elrond, "was very gracious and hospitable and he allowed me to spend a few days here. Before I knew it, days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and by the time I realized how long I'd been here, a year had almost passed. I had come to love this place so much that I just let time get away from me. When I started to think of leaving, Elrond told me I could stay in Rivendell indefinitely, if I wished, since he knew how much I liked it here, and that was an offer I found I couldn't refuse."

"What about Roryk?" Aira inquired. Roryk was Maori's older brother who lived not too far from her back in Rohan. The two siblings were pretty close and he had visited them frequently back when Aira had stayed with her.

"He knows where I am," Maori answered, "and he's all right with it. Besides, I am a grown woman and I can live wherever I choose." Then she placed her hands on her hips. "Now it's your turn! What are _you_ doing here?"

"I suppose I will leave you two be," said Elrond, seeing as how he was no longer needed. He gave the ladies a bow of his head and went back up the stairs, leaving the two of them alone.

Aira chuckled as she turned back to Maori. "Well, my friend, that is a bit of a long story, but I will shorten it for you: I am currently part of a company on a quest to take back Erebor."

Maori's eyebrows narrowed. "Heavens, that's quite an endeavor. Who is leading this company you're in?"

Aira simply gave her a grin and her face lit up.

Maori saw this and knew the answer right away. "Thorin Oakenshield?" she asked rhetorically and with enthusiasm.

In the past, Aira had told her many things about her life in Thorin's care and growing up with him, his sister and his nephews. Maori knew how much those four Dwarves meant to her friend and, last she saw her, Aira had told her she wanted to return to Ered Luin soon so she could see them again and Maori hoped with all her heart that she would.

To answer her, Aira nodded with a smile. "I didn't get to Ered Luin like I had hoped because Gandalf found me before then and brought me along."

"Gandalf's with you, too? That's wonderful!" Like many others, it seemed like, Maori too was well-acquainted with the Grey Wizard. "When did you get here?"

"Yesterday. We were attacked by an Orc pack just off the Great East Road," Aira explained to her, "and we found a hidden passage. While everyone in our company got inside, I stayed behind to fight off some Wargs that were charging at us and was injured in the process. Elrond and a few of his soldiers came, drove off the rest of the pack, found me and brought me here to be healed. Thorin and the company found their way here through the hidden passage."

"Oh, I'm very sorry that you were injured. Was it a serious wound?"

"Just a gash in my side from an Orc sword, but it's nothing I can't handle. I've suffered worse, you know that."

Maori nodded, knowing exactly what Aira was talking about. She was well aware of her friend's dreadful past and was still even deeply saddened about it. "It sounds like it'll be another scar to add to your collection…," she said in a slightly gloomy voice.

Aira just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care, this one was worth it," she replied. "I got it for protecting those I care very much about. That's only just one downside out of the very few that have happened on this quest, but the upsides greatly outweigh them." Then she smiled. "I'm with my good friends again, I've been reunited with my family, I'm going on a real adventure…and I've found love."

That sparked Maori's interest suddenly. "You have? With who?!" she asked with great excitement, her eyes growing large in anticipation.

The corners of Aira's mouth slid even more upward as she proudly gave her one word answer, "Kili."

At the mention of his name, Maori immediately remembered who Kili was. "One of the Princes!" she pointed out. "How long have you two been together?"

"Since last night, actually."

"I know you've told me that Kili was one of your best friends, but I never thought you actually had feelings for him."

"Back then, I don't think I really did, but neither of us realized just how much we care for each other until a few days ago when we were reunited. And I realize now that we've _always_ loved each other, but we've only ever seen that love as one of friendship, formed between two best friends. We never saw it as anything more; neither of us knew just how strongly we felt for each other until recently, as I said. I cannot even begin to describe how happy he makes me and how wonderful it feels to be with him now."

"Oh, Airaním, I am so overjoyed to hear this!" Maori happily embraced her again. "After everything you've been through, you more than deserve such happiness."

Aira clutched her friend even tighter. She truly had missed Maori very much and began to feel even happier at seeing her again, even in the most unlikely of places. Then she gasped and pulled away. "Since you're here, you can actually meet Kili!" she exclaimed, taking Maori's hands. "And Fili and Thorin!"

Maori's face beamed at the thought. "Oh, yes," she said, "that sounds like a marvelous idea!"

"You can meet everyone! They all left to do some sparring just moments ago. I left my sword up in one of the foyers; we'll go and fetch it, I'll change out of this dress and into something more suitable and then we can both go and find the others."

After one of the Elf guards took Maori's pony to tend to it, both Maori and Aira made their way up the stairs and back to the foyer Aira had just come from. Sure enough, her sword was still lying on the floor where she had left it. She retrieved it from its spot and she and her friend went back to her room where she changed into a pair of breeches and a simple red shirt that she found in her wardrobe. After that, Aira and Maori began to make their way in the direction the company had gone before.

* * *

They hadn't gone very far when they began to hear the sounds of grunts, shouts and the clashing of swords and axes. Within moments, the two ladies found the rest of the company in a large grassy area, most of them fighting each other. Gandalf, Ori, Gloin, Dori and Bombur were the only ones not fighting; they were all sitting on stone benches or on the grass off to the side, watching.

In the middle of the area were five sparring pairs: Thorin and Dwalin, Fili and Bifur, Kili and Bofur, Nori and Oin and Balin and Bilbo.

Thorin and Dwalin were battling each other with almost no effort. The two of them had practiced their battle skills together so many times that they almost knew each other's every move before any of them were even made. Thorin's Elvish sword would cut through the air towards Dwalin's head, but then his battle axes would shield it from an oncoming blow.

Fili was parrying with his short swords every thrust Bifur drove at him with his spear, but would be blocked in return as he went in for an attack.

With Bofur, Kili was practicing with his sword instead of his bow. He really didn't need any practice with his bow; he was quite the master archer. Bofur, on the other hand, was quite an excellent fighter with his war hammer. He would come at Kili with his hammer and Kili would either block the blows or would duck underneath just in time.

Nori and Oin were a bit more of an even match because they both had similar weapons: battle staffs. They were even getting a little creative in their attacks. Nori would twirl around, swinging his staff behind his back, bring it up and then thrust it across at Oin, but the partially deaf Dwarf would swing his own staff over his head in a circle, knocking Nori's out of the way and leaving him vulnerable for another strike.

Lastly, there was Balin and Bilbo. Their practice was going a little slower than the rest because Balin was going easy on the Hobbit, teaching him how to use his sword. Bilbo seemed to be doing well enough; he was catching on quickly to what Balin was teaching him. Every so often, Balin would say to him, "Don't be so stiff." Or "Loosen up." Then within seconds they'd be followed by, "Excellent, Master Baggins!"

Aira and Maori stood where they were, just silently watching the training.

"Can you guess which ones are the Princes?" Aira asked Maori, leaning over and saying it quietly in her ear.

"I think I most certainly can," Maori answered. She motioned with her head in their directions. "The handsome, dark-haired one with no beard and that…dashing, blonde one with the interesting lip braids."

Aira noticed the slight pause Maori had put in before using the word "dashing" to describe Fili and she became curious. She turned her head and saw Maori staring in his direction with intense eyes and her lips were twitching upward. She seemed almost distant; lost in her own little world. Aira could feel a pleased grin stretching across her face. She recognized that look and had to try hard to suppress a laugh.

"See something you like, Maori?" she asked teasingly.

Maori snapped back to reality and realized what had happened which caused her blush greatly.

Aira finally allowed herself to chuckle at her friend's embarrassment. She laid a hand on her shoulder and pointed out with her other one. "The _dashing_, blonde Prince," Aira said, emphasizing Maori's choice of descriptive words, "is Fili. The handsome, dark-haired one is Kili."

After stealing another look at Kili, Maori turned back to Aira, smirking, and said, "A very excellent choice, my dear!"

Aira snickered at her and bowed her head to say "thank you". Then she noticed Maori was gazing over at Fili again. The half-Dwarf woman appeared to be quite smitten with the eldest Dwarf Prince. Aira began to think that she had just literally witnessed love at first sight.

She couldn't blame Maori, though. She had to admit that Fili was a handsome young lad who could steal the hearts of many unsuspecting Dwarven women with his looks alone. That combined with his gentlemanly charm and his charismatic sense of humor would capture women's hearts completely! Maori was now another young woman who had fallen into that trap. Aira just grinned and shook her head, knowing that her good friend had no idea what silly situation she was getting herself into.

Thorin, having noticed Aira arrive with an unfamiliar looking woman, called out for everyone to still their weapons. They all in turn looked to see Aira approaching them and lowered their arms. Seeing her friend with her, they all started to gather around together.

"There you are, Aira!" said Thorin as she reached them. Then he gave Maori an inquisitive glance. "And who might this be?"

Aira, to answer Thorin's question while speaking to the entire company, replied, "This, gentlemen, is my good friend, Maori."

"Maori, the friend of yours from Rohan that you told us about?" asked Oin.

"In the flesh," Maori said, bowing her head.

Gandalf came up behind everyone and exclaimed, "Maori, my dear, what a pleasure it is to see you! What are you doing here?"

"You as well, Gandalf!" she responded cheerfully. "And I live here now."

Thorin turned to the wizard. "You know her, as well?" he asked. _"Who does this wizard not_ _know?"_ he wondered in his mind.

Gandalf nodded. "Indeed, I have known her for quite some time. In fact, it's thanks to her that Aira and I met years ago.

Aira then nodded to him and beamed, confirming his statement. Then she looked to Maori and said, "I'll introduce you to everyone, and don't feel too bad if you can't remember their names." Going from left to right, Aira named everyone in order: Dwalin, Ori, Dori, Bifur, Gloin, Balin, Bilbo, Bofur, Bombur, Oin and Nori. Each of them, as she said their names, gave Maori a polite bow of the head to greet her and she returned the same motion.

Lastly, Aira came to the Princes. "This is Kili," she said, gesturing to him and he gave her the same respect as the rest of the company. "And this is Fili."

Maori gave the same bow of the head to Fili, but he didn't do the same. Instead, he startled everyone—Maori mostly—by taking her hand, bending over a little and placing a sweet, gentle kiss upon it.

Pairs of eyebrows shot up on some faces with curiosity, some eyes grew wide with shock, a couple jaws dropped and there was even the sound of a teasing "Ooh…!" that seemed to be coming from Bofur.

Maori stood there frozen for a brief moment. The second Fili's lips had touched the back of her hand, an electrifying jolt of warmth, unlike anything she'd ever felt before, shot through her arm and filled her chest. Where was all this coming from? She could feel the heat rising in her face and she knew she was turning red as she noticed Fili flashing a grin up at her. She looked away shyly as he let go of her hand.

Behind her, Aira was smiling so wide she wasn't sure if her face could contain it. But then, after getting Maori's attention again, she gestured with her hand to the last person and said, "And I don't think you need me to tell you who this is."

"Thorin Oakenshield," Maori confirmed, her expression now changing to admiration as she looked upon the Dwarf King. "Aira has told me much about you." Then she bowed respectfully before him and stated, "Maori Irondelver, at your service."

"Irondelver?" Thorin repeated as he bade her to rise.

"That's been a name in my mother's family for years. It was my great-great grandfather's surname because he was a blacksmith as well as a miner of the Iron Hills."

"Aira told us that you are half-Dwarf."

"That is true. My mother was a Dwarf and my father was of the race of Men; he hailed from Rohan."

"I find it curious that you are half-Dwarf and yet you behave and look very much like a Dwarven woman…."

"My mother taught me many things about Dwarf lore and culture and I grew to love everything about it, so I've lived by such customs most of my life. I always supposed I did it to make up for living in a kingdom of Men instead of Dwarves. As for my appearance: just more traits I inherited from my mother."

Satisfied with the information she had given him, Thorin graciously nodded to Maori and said to her, "Well, it is an honor to meet you, Maori Irondelver, and I believe that an offer of gratitude is in order."

Maori didn't quite understand. "For what could you owe me such an offer, if I may ask?"

"For looking after Airaním," Thorin answered. "She informed us that you let her live with you for a time when she traveled to your homeland."

"Oh, it was nothing, my King," Maori responded humbly. "It was a pleasure having Aira in my home and I was glad to look after her, especially after what she went through and despite how scarred she was from it."

Aira froze and her eyes grew huge in alarm, completely shocked. _"Oh, no!"_ she thought. She had forgotten to let Maori know that she hadn't told the company about her past and, with only a few words in a matter of seconds, her friend was about to compromise her cover! _"Oh, gods, no! What am I going to do?!"_

Thorin's eyes narrowed with concern, as did the others'. "What are you talking about…?" he inquired, looking from Maori to Aira, his sudden uneasiness apparent in his face.

Now a bit apprehensive over what she had just said, Maori turned her head to Aira and received almost a glare from her that said _"Why did you do that?"_ From this look, she realized what she had done and felt incredibly guilty. She had thought Aira would've told them the truth by now and didn't think anything of it.

She frantically started to try and think of an answer to give to Thorin's question. "Well, what I meant to say was—" she began, but Thorin held up a hand to her, signaling her to be silent.

"No, Maori. I want to hear the answer from Aira."

Aira nervously met his firm gaze, his eyes showing his now great concern for what Maori had just inadvertently told him and the others. Then she noticed everyone else staring at her in the same way, all of them expecting a response from her. She felt cornered; trapped. She couldn't tell them the truth. At least, not yet. She still wasn't ready for that and she felt that _they_ weren't quite ready to hear any of that yet either. Quickly, she had to think of something they would believe; something that wouldn't arouse too much suspicion of her. But what? Aira was always an honest person; she didn't like lying to others, especially her friends and family. Above all, she _hated_ lying to Thorin, but this time it was necessary, for the time being. Whatever she thought of, she just hoped and prayed to Mahal above that he wouldn't see through her deception.

To try and buy her time to think of something, Aira just said, "It's nothing, Thorin."

Thorin didn't believe that for a second. "Maori mentions 'what you went through' and that you are scarred from it? That does not sound like nothing."

Aira was really beginning to panic now.

She felt a hand gently grab hers and turned to look at Kili as he said her name. The expression on his face and his tone of voice seemed to beg her for an answer.

She looked over the stares of the other members of the company and met Gandalf's hesitant gaze with an uneasy look.

Unfortunately, that didn't go unnoticed by Thorin. His head whipped around, almost hitting Aira in the face with his long hair, and he growled at Gandalf, his frustration rising, "What do you know of this, Gandalf? If Aira will not tell us, then _you_ will!"

Gandalf straightened up, hiding his guilty look. Then he spoke boldly, "I don't know what makes you think I know of what the women speak, but even if I did, it would not be my place to tell you any of it."

Thorin sighed and shook his head. "Must you always be so elusive?" he snarled.

"All right!" Aira cried out. The Dwarf King was starting to get suspicious of the wizard and she knew he didn't deserve to have Thorin questioning him.

Everyone began staring at her again.

Finally, she explained, trying her hardest to make her story sound like the truth, "Years ago, Maori and I were out riding one day and we came across a farm that was being attacked by Orcs. We saw this and we went to help them. Eventually, we managed to rid the farm of the Orcs, but there was one left over in the end that I ended up fighting. The Orc carried a spear with a brutal, clawed head. He caught me off guard, knocked me to the ground and…."

Even though she knew the one that lay beneath was her worst, Aira brought up the lower half of her shirt and then slowly lifted the bandages around her abdomen to reveal the scar on her stomach.

The company all gasped in fright at her scar, which were four, elongated circles that formed a square shape, which was indented deep into her skin.

"It was a deep wound, as you can see," Aira continued, noticing that they seemed to be buying her made-up story, "and I lost a lot of blood. Within days, the wound became infected." She put the bandages back in place and lowered her shirt. "For a long time, I was sick and weak; I was miserable and I stayed even longer with Maori because she insisted, so she could nurse me back to health. And that's all there is to tell about that."

The Dwarves and the Hobbit all believed Aira's story, she could see it in their faces.

Thorin, however, was a little conflicted. He had listened intently to her explanation and watched her and it seemed to him that she was telling the truth, yet there was a pestering feeling inside him that said something still wasn't right. He couldn't figure out why that feeling was there, but decided to not dwell on it. He had gotten an answer from Aira and it seemed good enough for him, for the time being.

"Why did you not tell us this?" he asked Aira now that he was calmed down.

This time, she answered him with the truth. "Because I didn't want all of you to worry," she said, glancing around at everyone apologetically. "I didn't want you to become too protective of me. I did not want you to think I had left and gotten myself hurt because…I was a foolish child." She gave Thorin a timid look and he looked away, knowing she was referring to their fight back at the troll-hoard. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell any of you."

There was nothing but silence between everyone for a moment. Aira felt a small sense of relief that she had saved her secret and the company believed what she said. She turned to Maori, who looked at her guiltily and mouthed "I'm sorry" to her and she just gave her a reassuring nod.

The silence was broken when Thorin asked Maori, "Will you be joining us in our training?"

Aira sighed, thankful that he wasn't going to press the matter any further and was moving on.

Maori shook her head and responded, "No, I currently don't have any weapons with me, so I think I'll watch."

With that in mind, Thorin called out, "Everyone, take a rest." Then his eyes found Aira's. "You will spar with me," he told her.

The company all sat themselves down on the side on the grass or on the benches. Kili gave Aira a kiss on the cheek before joining them. The only exceptions were Gandalf and Maori, who were standing a little farther away and talking, simply catching up with each other.

Thorin and Aira remained standing in the middle of the area, facing each other. Thorin unsheathed Orcrist and got into position. Aira drew her own sword and put herself in a ready stance.

"We will see how your battle skills have improved," said Thorin. "Prepare yourself. I will start by attacking you."

"Whatever happened to 'ladies first'?" Aira asked cheekily, earning a couple snickers from the other Dwarves.

"I am a King, I overrule that," Thorin said back, grinning.

Aira shrugged. "Fair enough."

He raised his sword, let out a yell and went to bring it down upon her. Aira lifted her sword up above her head, their weapons clashed together and their sparring began.

* * *

**Kili's POV**

Off to the side, Kili wasn't even thinking about the tale Aira had just told them. His mind was too pre-occupied as he continued to watch absorbedly as Thorin and Aira's sparring commenced. He noticed that Aira's combat skills were much better than the last time he'd seen her fight. Of course, he realized that was over thirty years ago, so naturally, she had to be better. She moved with such grace, attacked with great intensity and was steadfast in her defense. There was even a time or two where Aira's moves or attacks would surprise even Thorin. Kili began to pity the lives of any being or creature she'd ever gotten into combat with or would combat her in the future. There was no way any of them stood a chance against this fierce maiden warrior.

_His _fierce maiden warrior…and he felt himself smile at the sound of that.

He turned to his brother next to him and found him looking back over his shoulder. For about the fourth time. Kili didn't even need to look to know just what, or more specifically, _who_ Fili was looking at.

"You're quite taken with her," Kili whispered to Fili, making him flinch.

"Who?" Fili asked, trying to sound and appear innocent.

Kili, however, could see right through him. "You know you can't lie to me, brother. You know who: Maori! I've seen you glancing over your shoulder at her about four times now. And that kiss to the hand move wasn't exactly very discreet either."

"How do you know I wasn't just doing that to be polite?"

"Because I know you and you have never once made a move like that just to be polite."

Fili looked down to his hands in his lap, his face turning a little red.

"You fancy her," said Kili.

His brother was silent for a short time. Then Fili said to him, without looking up, "Do you remember back in the Shire and you told me about all the sudden urges and feelings you felt when you were with Aira that night?"

"Yes, I do remember."

Fili paused again. Then he lifted his head and said in a low voice, "I think that same thing just happened to me with Maori."

Kili smiled at him, feeling happy for his older brother.

He went on, "The minute I saw her coming over with Aira, something just hit me out of the blue. I have never seen anyone like her! And unlike you, Kili, I actually acted upon my urges when I kissed her hand and I'm starting to wonder if perhaps that was too forward of me, having just met her."

"Judging from her reaction, I'm sure _she_ didn't think so," said Kili, giving Fili a reassuring look.

"I couldn't help it…she's just so beautiful!" Fili once again twisted his head around to steal another glance at Maori, his breath catching as he laid eyes on her.

The youngest Prince laid a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Well, we _are_ going to be here for a few days…you should talk to Maori; get to know her."

Fili nodded. "I'd certainly like to."

* * *

**Aira's POV**

"Is that all you've got?"

The training had started off seriously, but now that she was getting the hang of it all, Aira was starting to have a little fun with it and had started teasing and taunting Thorin after about every other attack.

Thorin chuckled. "Do not test me, Aira. I am just getting started."

All the while during the sparring, Thorin kept marveling at how much Aira's combat skills had developed. He had always known her to be a good swordsman, but now she was proving to be an excellent one.

Their swords clashed once more and they did so, over and over again as the fight intensified.

After a couple minutes, Thorin thrust his sword forward only to have Aira bring her sword in front of her and parry his move. Then, following that motion and momentum, she twirled her sword up around her head and swung it forward. Thorin brought his sword up, blocking Aira's sword from coming in contact with his head, and then shoved her away. As she staggered backward, he proceeded to spin around in a full circle and slashed his sword forward towards her neck. She swiftly ducked down as the weapon came her way.

Then, instinctively, Aira stuck out her leg and spun it around beneath her, knocking into Thorin's ankles and sending him suddenly sprawling down flat on his back. There were gasps and shouts of surprise from the company watching on the sidelines as he landed with a loud grunt. Aira jumped up and knelt down over him, her sword pointing down at his throat.

"I have just beaten the great King Under the Mountain…I'd say my battle skills have definitely improved, wouldn't you agree?" she said triumphantly, winking at him.

"Immensely," Thorin answered, showing how proud he was of her through his grin.

As she helped him to his feet, they heard Gloin cry out, "By my mother's beard! Aira's just bested Thorin!"

"No one has ever bested Thorin!" Kili reiterated.

"Dwalin is the only one who's come close to doing so," added Balin.

Thorin brushed himself off before responding to tease Aira, "Oh, she just got lucky."

Aira scoffed. "Luck had nothing to do with it," she replied. Then she gripped her sword, faced the rest of the company and asked, "Now…who's next?"

* * *

The sparring continued for over an hour, giving everyone a chance to do a round of fighting with each other. By the end of it, they were all tired and sore. Thorin told them all to relax for a while and regain their strength.

As the company was taking care of their weapons, Maori quickly ran up to Aira afterwards and said, "Aira, I'm so sorry about earlier. I didn't know."

Aira just waved it off. "It's all right, but this is not the time and place to discuss it. We will talk later, I promise."

Maori gave a compliant nod.

Aira heard her name being called and she saw Thorin coming towards her. However, the look on his face appeared rather serious.

"Yes, Thorin?" she asked.

"First of all, how is your side?" he responded.

"It's sore a little from all the work, but I'll live. And it doesn't seem to have re-opened, so that's good, as well."

Thorin then let out a sharp breath as he said to her, "Aira, there is something I must tell you and I want you to know beforehand that I've given this a fair bit of thought."

"What is it?"

"You are aware that, at the end of a week's time, we are planning to leave and continue with the quest?"

"Yes, of course."

"We will leave then…but I want you to stay behind and remain here."

Aira felt her eyes widen and her eyebrows rise, stunned at Thorin's words. He couldn't be serious, he just couldn't be. "Please tell me you're joking…," she demanded in a firm voice.

Thorin only stared at her with the same solemn look. He really was serious.

"No!" Aira cried out, getting upset now. "Thorin, why? Why would you do this to me? If this is about the tale I told you—"

"It has nothing to do with that," Thorin gravely said, cutting her off.

"What is it, then?!" Now Aira was on the verge of screaming and the rest of the company were all standing by, assessing the situation and listening.

"I need you to come out of this _alive_, Aira, and I am risking the chances of that not happening by letting you continue with us."

"What makes you think I won't?"

"This quest is dangerous; it is a risk we are all taking."

"And you expect me to send the rest of you off to face your possible doom while I stay behind and wait for you all when you may not return? No, Thorin, I won't do it! If you all go, then so do I!"

"Aira, I can't do it!" Thorin's voice changed. It went from sounding grim to almost pleading with her; becoming a little more emotional than normal. "I just can't let you come with us! You must understand: I _need_ you to survive this and, the farther we go, the less likely it'll be that that may happen. I know that you are an excellent fighter and can take care of yourself, but, after everything that happened yesterday, I realized that I cannot keep putting you in harm's way. While everyone in my company is important, you are the most special to me; _your_ life is the one I value the most! You were almost killed yesterday and you are too important for me to lose. I need to keep you safe."

He stopped for a moment, letting his words sink in. Aira continued to gaze at him in unbelief, but there seemed to just a glint of realization and understanding in her eyes.

Taking advantage of that, Thorin begged her, "Please try to see this from _my_ perspective, Airaním. You will understand."

Aira was silent for a minute before letting out an exasperated sigh and hanging her head. She knew that fighting against Thorin about this would be useless. "I do understand," she finally admitted.

Thorin had almost expected her to snap something back, but she hadn't and he was a little startled by her response, at first.

She went on, "I do see it your way and I know that going against you on this won't get me anywhere. It would only make things uneasy between us and I can't let that happen again. So I will do as you ask: when it comes time for you all to leave, I will stay here."

He was still a bit surprised at how quick she was to comply, but he was glad about it nonetheless. While he hated the thought of leaving her behind and upsetting her, he really felt deep down that there wasn't any better way to ensure her safety and this was what had to be done. She understood that and he took it as a good sign.

The Dwarf King gave the Princess a small but satisfied smile as he took a step towards her and pulled her into his comforting embrace. "I know this is hard for you," he said softly, "but this really is what's best for you."

"I know," Aira replied.

With that, Thorin pulled away, lightly brushed her cheek with his hand, picked up his sword off the ground and walked away.

As he did so, the rest of the company, who had all been standing and listening to them, walked away also, none of them saying a word.

Aira continued to watch Thorin walk away and almost didn't hear Maori come up behind her.

"Well, that went differently than I had expected."

Aira turned to look at her friend and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I just thought that, knowing you, the whole discussion with Thorin would've gone on a little longer."

Aira shook her head. "I've learned that arguing with him isn't worth it. When Thorin's mind is firmly set on something, it is pointless to fight against it. I understand his reasons for what he's asked of me, I really do."

"So you really are going to stay behind?"

"Oh, gods, no!" Aira cried suddenly.

Maori looked at her, taken aback. She brought up one of her hands from behind her back to reveal that her fingers had been crossed. She had been bluffing when she made her vow to Thorin.

"Just because I understand his reasons doesn't mean I have to agree with them, either," Aira stated, giving Maori a smirk as she saw her friend realize what she was saying, and Maori returned the gesture.

Then she said with a bold voice, "It's not up to Thorin to decide what I do. My life is not his to worry about jeopardizing. It is mine and mine alone, and if I decide to risk it doing what I believe to be right and going on this quest, then so be it. I _will_ continue on with them…because nothing and no one, not even Thorin Oakenshield, can keep me away from where I belong."

Maori gave her a quizzical look and tilted her head. "And where is that?"

Aira just grinned and answered, "With the company; my family."

.

**What'd I tell ya? ;)**

**Lots of suspicion about Aira's past, Thorin wants to leave Aira behind and even an introduction to a future something with Fili and Maori... ;D**

**(And also I apologize if how I wrote the sparring part kinda sucks...i'm not all that good at writing scenes like that :P)**

**Next chapter will have more nice moments with Kili and Aira and maybe one or two with Fili and Maori ;D**

**Your thoughts? Leave a review or PM! :D**


	22. Love and Hate

**Another interesting little chapter...but then again, when are they not? ;P (haha just kidding!)**

**Here's something for you all: I've thrown in a little reference joke somewhere in here, see if you can find it ;) It's a little tricky.**

**kaia: I won't give any spoilers...you'll just have to wait and see, my dear ;)**

**.**

After returning to Aira's room, the two ladies sat down on the bed and Aira explained to Maori her plan for when the company would leave in a few days: she would stay in Rivendell when they left, wait just long enough for them to get outside of the Valley and then she would follow them.

"Once we're far enough away, then will I show myself," she said. "That way, we will be too far away from Rivendell for Thorin to send me back and he'll be forced to let me come along."

"Sounds like a very cunning plan, indeed!" said Maori. Then she fidgeted a little bit and asked, "Aira, how come you haven't told Thorin or anyone the truth about your past?"

After avoiding what could have been a disaster earlier, Aira knew that Maori was going to ask her that question eventually. She let out a sigh, started fumbling with the bed sheet in her hands and answered, "I'm just not ready yet, Maori. And I don't think _they're_ ready for it, either."

"Aira, they deserve the truth."

"I know…but I can barely stand to even think about my past, let alone talk about it!"

"I understand, I do, but you will have to tell them eventually. I can see they're already getting suspicious, especially Thorin. You cannot hide it forever."

Aira looked at up Maori, her eyes suddenly growing full of worry. "Maori, I'm afraid," she said in a soft, trembling voice. "If I tell everyone the truth…what will they think of me once they know? What will Thorin think? Or Fili?" The fear in her voice suddenly grew as she cried out, "Oh, gods, what will _Kili_ think?"

Maori grasped her shoulders to try and soothe her. "Aira," she said evenly, "calm down, dear. None of what happened was your fault; they will have nothing to judge you for. If those three love you as much as you have led me to assume, then I do not believe they will think of you any differently once they know the truth of your past. You must have faith that they will still love you all the same even after they are made aware of what happened to you."

The half-Dwarf pulled her friend into a comforting hug, hoping to comfort her and drive away her deep fears. She knew more than anyone how hard it was for Aira to face her past and she didn't want to see her so afraid.

"I can only pray that they won't think differently of me," Aira said against Maori's shoulder.

Maori stroked her back softly. "They won't," she promised.

* * *

A short amount of time had passed before Maori left for the stables to check on her pony and to collect her belongings that she had left with it. Aira was now alone in her room.

She got up from her bed and walked over by the windows, which were actually part of a set of double-doors that led to a balcony outside. She turned the small round handles and gently pulled the doors open, letting more of the morning light into her room deeply breathing in the crisp air. Still amazed by the beauty of the Valley, Aira walked over to the railing of the balcony and continued to stare out at the land, admiring the waterfalls and rivers and the many colors of the trees that rustled in the gentle wind. She began to see why Maori never wanted to leave the city. It was quite a beautiful sight, indeed.

_"Aira, they deserve the truth."_

_"If I tell everyone the truth…what will they think of me once they know? What will Thorin think? Or Fili? Oh, gods, what will Kili think?"_

Maori's words along with her own were echoing in Aira's ears. Despite all the things Maori had said to comfort her, she still worried about what would happen once she told the company everything.

_"What will Thorin do once he finds out I was once Azog's slave and that he's still alive?"_ she thought. _"He will be furious! What will the company do when I tell them I was a prisoner for a majority of my thirty-year absence? What will Kili think of me when—"_

As if on cue, the sound of Aira's door opening, then closing and Kili's voice saying her name interrupted her internal worrying. Now she grew nervous. Most likely he was there to ask more about the scar she had shown him and the company and would ask about her past also. But still she felt she couldn't tell him everything yet.

Aira turned around and met Kili's gaze. They both just stared at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to say something but the silence was overtaking them.

Finally, Aira said half-heartedly, "If you're going to chastise me about my scar, please don't."

"I wasn't going to," Kili simply responded. He took a couple steps closer to her, admiring how she looked in the sunlight, but something was troubling his mind and Aira could see it in his eyes. She didn't quite believe he meant what he said. But then he stepped forward one more time and said to her, "I wanted to ask you about your other ones."

Aira's heart stopped. Other ones? How did he know?

Kili explained to her, "Fili told me that, back at the Trollshaws, he saw, as you were getting out of your sack, a couple small white lines that resembled scars near the top of your back." He looked at her imploringly. "Is what he saw true?"

She knew of what marks he spoke. Her hand drifted up to the back of her neck and felt the small marks that blemished her skin. She didn't know that she had exposed them before and Fili had noticed. Normally she was very careful about making sure those scars were covered up so as to not raise any questions or suspicion. Aira supposed she owed Kili an explanation.

"He saw correctly…," she answered, but then continued before he could say anything, "but that's all that they are: a couple small scars. The Orc from my earlier tale nicked me a few times in the back before giving me the scar on my stomach." Once again, she stuck with the false story from before because it's what she had to do.

She noticed Kili was now staring at her with a form of anxiety in his eyes. It was clear that he was thinking about what she had told him before as well as a few seconds ago and he hated imagining something happening to her.

Aira went up to him and said softly, "Do not worry about me, Kili. I got better, my wound healed, I'm alive…and I'm here."

Kili looked at Aira, his gaze still uneasy. He dreaded thinking about something terrible happening to Aira. The thought of it just made him sick to his stomach. When he had listened to her tale before, his blood boiled within him. His beloved Aira had been hurt and marked; she could've been killed. That thought only made his mind wander back to the previous day when she didn't come into the passage after fighting the Wargs and seeing her limp and wounded body on Elrond's horse after they arrived. He remembered that feeling of fear and alarm, which only made him feel worse.

She brought a hand up to his cheek to console him and she repeated comfortingly, "I'm here, Kili."

He leaned into her gentle touch, feeling her warmth that helped soothe his worries. Just hearing the way she said his name made his heart feel calmer and all he wanted to do was hold her.

On instinct, he pulled her into his arms and pressed her close to him, one hand on the small of her back and the other stroking her hair. Just the sense of her body against his was enough to reassure him.

Aira put her arms around Kili's upper back and laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Being there in his arms, she felt safe; like nothing could ever harm her, not when he was with her. She held onto him tightly to once again let him know that she was there.

The two of them stood like that with each other for a long moment. They both had needed just some reassurance to help calm their fears and they had found it in each other's arms, just as they had hoped.

After a little time, Aira broke the silence by asking Kili, "Do you agree with that Thorin said…about leaving me behind?"

He sighed. "I don't know," he replied. "I can understand his reasons for wanting to do so…but I don't know if I could go on without you. I don't think I could stand not knowing what's happening to you while I'm gone."

While still keeping her arms wrapped around him, Aira lifted her head and looked into Kili's face. "Nothing would happen to me here!" she said. "Gandalf says this place is a Homely House, which means it's one of the safest places in all Middle-Earth." Then she gave him a bit of a warning look. "And don't say anything against it just because it's an Elvish place."

"I don't think much about that like my uncle does," Kili told her.

"I'll be safe here. You will have nothing to worry about." Aira leaned forward and kissed him before placing her head on his shoulder.

Then Kili said something that had been on his mind since Thorin last spoke to Aira; something that took Aira a little by surprise. "I won't go," he said. "When the company leaves, I will stay behind with you."

Aira's head shot up and she gave him a stern look. "No, Kili, you won't. I will not let you." At first, she had thought he couldn't stay because of the plan she had, but she realized that there really was more to her reasoning than just that.

"Aira, we've been apart for thirty years…I can't leave you. I don't want us to be apart again." Kili took her face in his hands and placed a firm kiss on her lips. Then looking deep into her eyes, he said, "I need to be by your side…and I need you at mine."

"I don't want us to be apart either, my love, but right now, your loyalty to Thorin is more important than your loyalty to me. You agreed to go on this quest before you even knew I would be a part of it. Thorin needs you and you know it."

Kili looked away, knowing Aira had a point and he didn't like admitting it.

When Kili didn't look back at her, Aira went on to say, "And what about Fili? You and I both know how loyal he is to your uncle and he will want to continue on with him. The two of you always stick together no matter what, I know you won't let him go alone; he will not go without you. Kili, you _must_ go with him and Thorin."

He knew she was right, yet still he felt so conflicted.

He didn't want to leave her; that was the last thing he would ever want to do, but what she said was true: he had taken up the quest before he knew she would be with them and Thorin would need him. His uncle needed every able-bodied Dwarf for this journey.

But what if something were to happen to him along the way? Aira would be waiting for him and he would never return…she would never see him again…they would never share a future together…she would be alone….

_"No, stop that!" _Kili mentally yelled at himself. _"You will not think like that! Nothing will happen to you on the journey, you will see Aira again and you will have a future, simple as that!"_

Now that he had all his doubtful thoughts turned away, Kili leaned forward and gently touched his forehead to Aira's. Then he said in a soft voice, "Just know that this will be the only time I'll ever leave you, my love."

Aira let out a small, light chuckle before replying, "Well, look at it this way: I've left you once already…after this, we will be even."

Kili couldn't help but grin.

She placed a hand over his heart. "Don't worry, we still have six more days, including today. We have plenty of time together."

Kili smiled once more as he captured her lips affectionately with his own again, letting all of his fears melt away as she leaned into him.

When they pulled apart, Kili whispered to Aira, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered back. After that, she took his hand and led him out onto the balcony.

"I have to tell you:" Kili said once they were outside, thinking he should change the subject, "Fili has taken quite a liking to your friend."

"You don't say?" Aira said sarcastically with a smile. That fact had been rather obvious. "Well, in turn, Maori has taken quite a liking to your brother."

"You don't say?" Kili repeated in the same manner. He had noticed Maori's reaction to Fili kissing her hand and he could tell she liked it. That fact had been pretty obvious, as well.

"Do you think anything will happen between them?"

"I told Fili he should, at least, talk to her and get know her, and hopefully he will…so who knows?"

* * *

**Fili's POV**

In another part of the city, that was exactly what Fili was planning to do. He hadn't even bothered to put his weapons away after the sparring; he had just kept them with him and began wandering around Rivendell, hoping he would run into Maori somewhere.

He had only wandered for a little while when he finally found her. She was in the stables, facing away from him and grooming her white pony. Fili leaned against a post in the doorway and looked her way. He had to admire the way her long dark hair cascaded down her back like liquid metal. And the way her hand moved so smoothly and tenderly along her pony's mane with the brush; it was clear that she loved her pony, which was to be expected. The people of Rohan were horse-people and took great pride in their horses and ponies.

"What's its name?" Fili asked, alerting Maori to his presence.

Maori hadn't heard him approach and she whirled around, startled, but once she saw that it was Fili, who was grinning politely at her, she relaxed. She was glad to see him. Secretly she'd been hoping that he would find her or that she would find him eventually. After their first encounter from before, she had wanted to get to know the amiable Dwarf Prince.

She then remembered that he had asked her a question and she quickly answered, saying, "His name is Dean."

Fili moved toward Maori, giving her pony a contemplative look. "A bit of an odd name," he pointed out.

Maori narrowed his eyes at him curiously. "For a pony or in general?"

"Both, I suppose."

"And what's that compared to the name 'Fili'?" she asked teasingly after letting out a playful scoff.

Fili gave a mock-offended gasp. _'Oh, she did not_ _just say that!"_ he thought. "I'll have you know, I take great pride in my name!"

Maori began to laugh at his defensiveness. "I am only teasing," she said to him. Then she gave him a smile and told him, "I think Fili is a good name."

"Thank you." He took one step closer to her, his expression turning a bit more serious, and said, "I wanted to apologize about if my actions earlier were too forward or inappropriate."

"No. No, I didn't think that at all," she simply responded. She could feel herself blushing again as she thought about the touch of his lips on her hand again and she admitted to him, "I found it rather sweet, actually."

"Really?" Fili asked, his face beaming.

Maori nodded then proceeded to say, "Why did you do it, if I may ask?"

Now it was Fili's turn to blush. Normally those sorts of actions were things that went unquestioned. But then he looked her right in the eye and gave her his best answer: "I thought that a simple bow would not be good or appropriate enough, seeing as how I was in the presence of a beautiful lady. I felt you deserved a more formal gesture."

The half-Dwarf woman was very impressed with how gentlemanly this young Dwarf was. She couldn't recall ever meeting any young men back in Rohan as kind or polite as Fili. "You really are as charming as Aira says. I am flattered," she said in response.

He smiled at her. So far, things were going quite well and he was feeling rather pleased.

He took a look at Dean's saddle and noticed the curved, iron hilt of a sword, undoubtedly Maori's, attached to it. Seeing her weapon brought another question to mind. "How come you didn't join us during the sparring?"

She just shrugged. "I didn't have my sword with me. As you can see, I had left it on Dean's saddle."

"You could've retrieved it and joined us."

"Well, yes, but perhaps I just didn't feel like taking part in it."

Fili gave her a smirk and stated just to tease her, "I will bet you don't even know how to really fight."

Suddenly, her head whipped around fast and she was now glaring at him, looking very serious, and Fili was taken aback for second. "I'll have you know, Prince, that I am a very skilled fighter," she told him in a firm voice.

While he still was puzzled by her sudden change in attitude, Fili proceeded to pull out one of his swords and say, "Then, prove it!" Gripping his short sword in his right hand, he took a prepared stance and awaited her move.

Never before had he seen a female move so fast in his life. Before he even realized it, Maori had drawn her sword swiftly from its sheath and advanced on him in a matter of mere seconds. She started hacking and slashing away at him, grunting with every move. She sounded angry. Fili was so surprised. What was happening? He had to parry quicker and quicker each time she took a swing at him and had to jump back a few feet. It was almost as if she was actually _trying_ to slice him up!

Maori thrust her sword forward and Fili blocked it. This time, though, she locked the hilts of their swords together, twisted them around and flung Fili's sword up into the air. It sailed back over his head and landed in an empty stall behind him. She had rendered him weaponless.

Then she swung her sword up near his head, narrowly missing his face, and he heard the sound of something being cut off and felt something fall off the side of his head.

Before Fili could react, Maori spun around, following the momentum of her previous swing, and shoved her foot up hard into his chest, knocking the wind right out of him and sending him sprawling flat onto his back.

Fili was now gasping for air as he started to sit back up. He lifted a hand up to the side of his head and he froze as he realized he felt nothing but a small tuft of hair by his left temple. His eyes looked to the ground by his feet and his eyes widened.

There on the floor laid a long lock of blonde hair that had a Dwarven clasp on the end.

Maori had chopped off one of his braids!

She was now standing over him, staring at him angrily with the tip of her sword pointing down at his face. He didn't say a single word. He was too at a loss for words to even remember how to speak.

"You have no idea what I have gone through to become the fighter I am now," she snapped at him. She then shoved her sword back into its scabbard and said to him viciously, "And don't you _ever_ accuse me of not knowing how to fight again…or you will lose more than just a braid next time!" With that, she stomped out of the stables.

Fili sat up, still panting, and stared down at the ground. He caught sight of his braid again, leaned over, picked it up and started to fumble with it in his hands, completely and utterly bemused.

"What…in Durin's name…just happened?!"

.

**Remember when I said there was gonna be a nice moment with Fili and Maori? Yeah, I guess I kinda lied... :P**

**Leave me a review or send a PM my way! I can assume some of you will probably be a little put off after this chapter, so please be nice to me...! ;P **

**PS: Did you figure out the reference? If you didn't, here's a little hint: it has to do with a name...**

**I'll give the answer next chapter! ;D**


	23. A King's Troubled Mind

**First off, thank you to everyone who has read and followed my story! :) I've gotten nothing but great feedback and it makes me so happy to see that people are liking this! :) So thank you!**

**Second of all, here is the answer to my reference from last chapter: I'm sure a lot of you figured it out after my hint...but Maori's pony's name was "Dean", as in Dean O'Gorman, the brilliant actor who plays Fili :) And Fili says "That's an odd name", which I threw in there just to be funny ;) hehe**

**I know I promised some of you that more with the younger Dwarves would happen in this chapter, but then I got another idea, so that all will be pushed to the NEXT one!**

**This is a very Thorin-based chapter, delving a bit more into his mind. I know a few readers will like this ^^  
*cough* mrsmiawallace88! *cough* ;D**

**.**

**Thorin's POV**

While Kili and Aira were spending time together and an angry Maori was teaching Fili a lesson, Thorin Oakenshield was in his room, having gone straight there after the sparring, sitting in a chair and smoking his pipe, deeply immersed in his thoughts.

They were a bit all over the place, but mainly, they were regarding Airaním.

It was a wonder he was able to keep his head on straight after everything that had happened since Aira joined them for training.

First, there had been the curious coincidence of her friend, Maori Irondelver, being there in Rivendell. Now, that he didn't really mind. Maori seemed rather pleasant and amiable; he could see how she and Aira had become friends. Even though he didn't know her, he knew that she had been with Aira for some time while she was away and, for that, he was grateful. It was comforting to know someone had been there; that someone had been looking out for her while she was away from home.

But then Maori had mentioned 'what Aira had gone through' and he remembered his anxious inquisitiveness had risen at those words, having heard nothing from Aira herself that indicated something had happened to her. Immediately, Thorin had wanted to know the truth; he _had _to know. If something bad had happened to her during her absence, he wasn't going to be kept in the dark about it. But Aira wouldn't say anything, at first, so he finally had to say he wanted to hear the answer from her instead of Maori to get her to talk.

Later on, a part of him almost wished he hadn't asked. He saw the marks on her stomach and anxiety mixed with rage began to boil inside him. That and listening to her explanation of how she obtained the scar only added more to it. That was exactly what he had been afraid of: Aira getting hurt while she was gone and there was no way for him to know. Even though he most likely didn't show it on the outside, that revelation had shocked him on the inside.

When Thorin had asked her why she didn't tell him or anyone else about that, she had responded that she didn't want him to think she was a foolish child…and a familiar sense of guilt had returned to him. He knew full well that she was referring to his cruel outburst from the troll-hoard. He supposed that that had probably given her more reason to keep the truth about her past from him. He only had himself to blame for that. Though, he was relieved to see, judging from the way she looked at him as she said that, that she still wasn't holding that incident against him.

What really plagued his mind was one question: why was she not telling him or anyone else more about what happened to her over the past thirty years? All she had ever divulged before today was a little about Maori and that was it. Why was she hiding? The only reason he could think was that something bad had happened while she was away, or else she wouldn't be keeping things from him. But what could've possibly happened that she'd want to keep it a secret? The second Thorin even thought of that question, he immediately pushed it away. He didn't want to try and imagine any potential answers to that. The list of possibilities was endless and they were ones he didn't want to think about. Unfortunately, that still didn't satisfy his wanting to know the truth.

Starting to get a little frustrated, Thorin set his pipe down on a side table, got up from his armchair and walked out onto the balcony of his room, thinking that perhaps a little fresh air would help clear his head.

As he got out and rested his hands on the banister, he could hear faint laughter in the distance. He turned his head and saw Aira and Kili across the way, standing together on the terrace of Aira's room. Kili had one arm around Aira's waist and she was resting her head on his shoulder, the both of them talking to each other and smiling.

Thorin felt a smile curl up on his lips himself at the sight of them.

The two young Dwarves looked so happy together. He had seen and met many couples in his life, but to his recollection, none of them could compare to what he saw with Kili and Aira. A Dwarf's love was genuine and true, for they only love once in their entire lifetime. That had been part of the reason why Thorin had placed his confidence in Kili being the one Aira would choose in the wager with the other Dwarves. Kili always had a love for Aira in some way, even from when they were Dwarflings, and she was the same in return, but it was something they didn't know or understand at a young age. The Dwarf King, however, constantly saw it and just knew that someday they would, too. Their love had always been there, even when they didn't know it. Now that they knew, it truly was a beautiful thing. To him, they were the epitome of true love.

Thorin chuckled to himself. "Perhaps I am a bit biased in thinking that," he said out loud, "since they are my nephew and my ward." But he didn't care if that was prejudiced thinking or not. He still believed it all to be right and he was very happy for them.

Aira was the greatest blessing in the lives of the Oakenshields'. There was always a lively spirit about her that brought much happiness into their home. Little did they know all those years ago that bringing a young orphan girl into their home and into their family would change their lives forever.

It was a little saddening, though, to Thorin as he had realized long ago that the only member of the family whom Aira would never know was Frerin, his younger brother, who had been among the dead at Azanulbizar, well before Aira had even been born. Thorin believed, had his brother survived, he would've adored Aira. She would've loved Frerin, too.

While her living with them had impacted Dis, Fili and Kili greatly, Thorin believed that, having been the one to primarily raise her, Aira had affected his life the most. She had awakened something in him that he had long since forgotten: hope. The hope for a better future; one that they could all have together in Erebor once it was re-claimed and restored. In times of darkness and despair, she was always the light that led him back. If he was feeling doubtful of anything, she would give him comfort in any way that she could. When he was feeling sorrowful at all, she would remind him of what it was like to feel joy amidst all the hardships of his life. Just as he had continuously been there for her during her darkest times, she had constantly been there for _him_ during his, which brought the young girl and the Dwarf King closer together. She had captured his heart in a way that only a daughter could. The both of them were very much alike in many ways; they needed each other.

Airaním was Thorin's ultimate weakness. While he considered his nephews that way, also, they did not have the same effect on him as Aira did, making her of vital importance. She had always been the greatest source of happiness for him throughout all his trials. Without her, he couldn't even fathom what his life would be like or what it would have been like before.

_That _was why he couldn't let her continue on the quest with him and the company. He knew for certain that, after Rivendell and from then on, things were only going to get more difficult and dangerous. After realizing how close he had come to losing her the day before and remembering how terrified he'd been, he didn't want to endure that again, for he was certain his heart would surely break if he did. He had to keep his wits about him. Thorin loved Aira too much to let anything else happen to her; to risk her life. He needed to keep her safe and leaving her in Rivendell seemed to be the only option, despite the fact that it was an Elvish realm. But Elrond _had_ saved her life and healed her, so Thorin couldn't really doubt that she would be secure in the Elf's care while he and the rest of the company was gone. He hated the thought of leaving her, but he knew that it was the only way to guarantee her safety and survival.

He stole another look over at the young Dwarves across the way and he saw that they were laughing gaily. Thorin couldn't be more proud of Kili. He could see how happy he made Aira and he wasn't worried at all about him doing anything to hurt her. The young Prince had always treated the Princess well. Now he would treat her like a Queen. He was exactly what Aira deserved and she was what Kili deserved, as well.

Feeling like he shouldn't watch them anymore in fear of invading their privacy, Thorin finally retreated from the terrace back into his room. Instead of staying, though, he decided to take a walk to continue getting some fresh air. So he removed his fur jacket, laid it out upon his bed along with Orcrist in its sheath and left the room.

* * *

Rivendell, surprisingly, was less confusing than the Shire was. How he managed to lose his way to Bilbo's house twice, Thorin still didn't quite understand.

He had remembered the way back to the foyer where they had all dined the night before. He stopped and stared at the empty veranda and he felt his mouth curve up into a pleasant smile as the memory of him and Aira making beautiful music on the Elven harps crossed his mind. The moment when they had played together was the happiest moment Thorin had experienced throughout that day. It had made him reminisce about her younger years when he had been teaching her how to play and she had been a quick learner. He told her multiple times that she would one day be a master at the harp like he was.

He continued to walk on and came near the entrance to Elrond's study right by the terrace. As he drew close, he could hear low voices inside. Thorin figured he would stand by and listen just to learn who was inside.

The first was Gandalf's voice. "It was brought up earlier this morning. Maori inadvertently said something and then she was forced to say something."

Then it was Elrond who then spoke, "What happened, then?"

"She looked over at me and I could see she was nervous. However, Thorin noticed and began to question me about it, but I said nothing. She gave them an explanation and the subject was dropped afterwards."

"Well, it is understandable why she would be nervous. That was a terrible ordeal that she was lucky to survive."

Thorin knew they were speaking of Aira and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even _Elrond_ had known of what happened to her?! How was that even possible?

He heard Gandalf sigh. "I am keeping quiet as best I can, for her sake, but I don't know how long it'll last. The Dwarves are all becoming suspicious. Thorin, especially."

"And for good reason!" Thorin exclaimed, stepping into the doorway. He had heard enough and was now glaring heatedly.

Gandalf and Elrond turned sharply at the sudden sound of his voice and their faces dropped a little, seeing as how they'd been discovered.

"I knew you were hiding something, Gandalf!" Thorin said angrily as he entered the room. "You knew about Aira's scar before she said something this morning. You knew…which means you must know more about her past and I demand the truth _now_!"

Gandalf raised his hands in defense. "Thorin, just remain calm."

"I will do no such thing!" By now, Thorin was just fuming with anger at the wizard. Then his attention turned to the Elf Lord. "And how is it that _you_ know of this? Did the wizard tell you?"

Elrond shook his head. "I keep watch over all Middle-Earth," he said coolly. "I see and know many things. I just happened to become aware years ago of Aira's circumstances."

Thorin's jaw clenched tightly. "You are just as vague as the wizard!" he cried. That just aggravated him to no end. And the fact that Elrond was an Elf only added to his frustration.

"We are vague for a reason," Elrond simply replied. "There are certain things that are not meant to be said in times such as this."

"I will _not_ be kept in the dark in regards to Airaním!" Thorin stated loudly. He looked to Gandalf. "And you wonder why I don't trust Elves…," he spat bitterly, shooting Elrond a hard glare.

Elrond neither did nor said anything back. He just kept a calm façade, seeming unaffected by the Dwarf's words.

Thorin turned back to Gandalf. "You know more than you are telling me. Tell me the truth, Gandalf! What do you know of what she's done during her absence?"

The Grey wizard let out a breath. "Yes, I am aware of some of her endeavors," he admitted, but then he gave Thorin a firm stare. "But, as I informed you this morning, it is not my place to reveal those to you. Only Aira has the right to do so. If she wanted you to know what happened in her absence, then she would have told you by now."

The Dwarf King's fists were tightening up. That was not the answer he wanted.

Elrond said in response to that, "Gandalf is right, Thorin, son of Thrain. It would not be right of us to reveal the young girl's endeavors without her knowledge or consent. It would be wise for you to heed our counsel and be patient. She will tell you in time."

It was clear to Thorin that he wasn't going to get anything out of these two. He let out a defeated sigh and released the tightness in his hands along with his inner frustration.

Once he calmed himself down, he shook his head. "Aira will not tell me anything," he said, looking down to the floor. His eyes lifted up to Gandalf. "Why will she not confide in me, Gandalf?" he asked, his tone of voice starting to sound desperate.

Gandalf raised his eyebrows slightly, contemplating Thorin's question. After a short moment, he came up with an answer that he thought the Dwarf King needed to hear and think about. "Perhaps she has not told you anything for the same reason _you_ have not told her how you truly view her."

Thorin looked taken aback, not expecting that answer at all. "What are you talking about?"

"All this nonsense you have been keeping up about viewing Aira as your niece because of her friendship with your nephews. Everyone knows that's not true; everyone can see that she is much more to you now. The question is: why can _you_ not? Why have you not told her that truth?"

Thorin hung his head. This wasn't where he thought the conversation would go. "I do not think I could…," he told the wizard hesitantly.

"Because you are not ready," Gandalf answered for him. "And you have had more than enough time to tell her. The same can be said for Aira: it is possible she is not ready to talk of the last thirty years, whether anything bad happened to her or not. Perhaps she is trying to move on from her past and focus on the present; on the task at hand." He gave Thorin a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Be patient with Airaním, Thorin. She will tell you everything when she is ready. Perhaps she will be more likely to do so when _you_ are more honest with her. Just a little word of advice."

Without a word, Thorin lowered his gaze back to the floor. What Gandalf had said had struck something in him and he found himself unsure of what to do or how to respond, so he just turned on his heel and left the study.

As he walked out of the room, he thought to himself, _"I need to find Balin or Dwalin."_

* * *

To his luck, Thorin found both Balin and Dwalin together in another hallway of the city. Balin was on the left side of the hall eyeing something on a table in front of a large stone statue. On the opposite side, Dwalin was standing with his arms folded across his chest and admiring a large painting on the wall.

Thorin moved up a small set of steps next to Balin to see what he was looking at. On the table was the well-crafted hilt of a sword with a broken blade and its shards were neatly placed all around it. He recognized the sword, having learned and seen portraits of it long ago in his studies when he was a Prince.

"The shards of Narsil," he said as he laid eyes upon the blade that was broken.

Balin looked to see the Dwarf King next to him and he gave him a welcoming grin. "Aye, laddie, the very same," he said.

Thorin turned around and saw that Dwalin was looking at him, too, but then he glanced at the painting on the wall. There was a male, armored soldier on the ground, holding up the broken hilt of Narsil to defend himself. Towering above him was a giant, black, menacing-looking monster holding a mace above his head, ready to strike the helpless man below him. This was also something Thorin recognized.

"This is from the battle of the Last Alliance at Mordor," he said, pointing at the portrait. "That is Isildur when he fought Sauron, just before he cut the One Ring from his hand."

While Dwalin was a bit impressed at Thorin's knowledge of the painting, he could tell that something was going on with him. "What's on your mind, Thorin?" he asked.

"What makes you think something is on my mind?" Thorin asked back, trying to hide the fact that it was true.

Dwalin just gave him a half-questioning look. "Lad, I've been your closest and most loyal friend and comrade for a long time. I know you and can tell when something is wrong or is on your mind, even when you don't blatantly show it."

Thorin let out a small scoff and shook his head. He should've known he couldn't put anything past Dwalin.

"So, come on, tell us what's going on."

He took a deep breath and explained to Dwalin and Balin about what had just previously taken place with Gandalf and Elrond.

"While I am still aggravated about them keeping things from me," Thorin added, "that is not what's been bothering my mind. It's what Gandalf last said to me before I left…about how I truly view Aira."

"How _do_ you really view Aira?" Balin inquired. He gave Thorin a look that said they knew the answer already, but wanted him to tell him, anyway.

Thorin hesitated for a second. "I love her," he admitted in a slightly shaky voice, which was rather strange for him. "I love her as my daughter; as my own child. That is what she has become to me. She means the world to me and is the joy of my life. She awakened a part of me that I had buried away inside before I took her in and that was the side of me that knew how to hope. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like had she not been a part of it. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Dwalin and Balin were both grinning gladly at him, overly pleased to finally hear him say those words out loud.

"Well, I'm sure she's aware of that already," said Dwalin.

"I know," said Thorin, "but I feel that is something she should actually hear from me instead of always assuming it." He took one step closer to the stairs. "I have wanted and tried to tell Aira these things before," he continued, "but my pride prevents me from doing so. And the truth is…I am also afraid."

"Afraid of what?" asked Balin.

"Of what she will think of me if I tell her."

"What would make you even remotely believe she will think differently of you if she hears that? That's absurd!" Dwalin exclaimed.

Thorin sighed. "I am afraid that if I tell her I love her as my daughter…she will think I am trying to replace her father."

The brothers glanced at each other. His fear was, at least, understandable, but they both knew that he didn't need to worry.

"Aira would never think that of you!" said Dwalin.

"I want to believe that…but something inside me keeps telling me that's possible and my fear overtakes me. Aira holds a special place in my heart, but I do not want her to think I am trying to take her father's place in hers."

"She loves you, Thorin, just as much as you do her."

"But not in the same way. Aira still loves her father, just as any daughter should. I know she loves me, but not in that way. She has not ever uttered a word about seeing me as more than just a guardian."

Balin eyebrows rose and he said, "Do you not remember the song she sang for you yesterday evening? Aira's words were 'daughter to father'…." The older Dwarf moved down from the steps and laid a comforting hand on the King's upper arm. "I am sure she knows and understands how you feel much more than you think."

Thorin sighed again and his gaze drifted to the floor, unable to find the right words to say.

"At last, after all these years, we find out that Thorin Oakenshield, who knows no fear, actually _has_ a fear," Dwalin said with a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.

"An unnecessary fear," Balin pointed out. "You two mean more to each other than you let on. Everyone can see it except the both of you because you are standing in each other's way."

Confused, Thorin looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"The 'nonsense', as you said Gandalf put it, of saying Aira is like a niece to you. You said that once and have not said anything against it since. You have never said any different, even when that all changed for you. Aira, I suppose, has noticed that and thinks you do not see her as anything else. Therefore, she is hesitant to say anything about how you are more to her than just a guardian. And because _she_ has not said anything, _you_, Thorin, misinterpret that, as well, and you think that her silence means she doesn't see you as anything else. Therefore, _you_ are hesitant to say how she was never like a niece to you, but that you see her as your daughter."

Thorin just continued to stare at Balin. The elder Dwarf's words were starting to take a toll on him.

When Thorin said nothing, Balin said to him, "Don't you see, lad? This entire situation isn't just that you and Airaním simply aren't ready to seal yourselves to each other as father and daughter by the truth! It's that nothing has been said between you two because all this time the two of you have been standing in each other's way; this has all been one giant misinterpretation!"

As Balin said this, Thorin began to realize that he spoke true. It all made sense; everything had been a never-ending cycle of keeping the truth silent due to lack of communication from either of them. How could he have been so blind to it?

Both Balin and Dwalin noticed Thorin's eyes widening and they once again shared a mutual glance, knowing that he had just come to that realization.

Dwalin patted his friend gently on the back. "Does that help lessen your fear, laddie?" he asked.

A small grin began to spread on Thorin's face. "Yes…yes, it does," he answered. He was still feeling a little overwhelmed by everything Balin had said and how right he was. "I still may need a little time…but your words have inspired me to do what I must sooner than later."

He placed one hand on Balin's shoulder and the other on Dwalin's and gripped them firmly. Then he looked at his two closest friends gratefully and said to them, "Balin, Dwalin: I knew I could come to you when I needed advice and you would offer me your counsel, as you always have. You both have never let me down…thank you."

The brothers both simply smiled and bowed their heads to him in respect.

Now feeling better than he had before, Thorin gave them one last glance of gratitude and then turned and left the hallway, going back the way he came.

As they watched him walk away, Dwalin leaned over to Balin and said, "You always know the right things to say with him, brother."

Balin chuckled and gave his brother a pat on the back. "Now the only question is: how much longer will it be before he actually decides to tell Aira the truth?"

Dwalin just shrugged. "Only time will tell."

.

**A lot to think about, huh? ^^**

**Also, a nice little tribute to LotR with the shards of Narsil :) I remember seeing a clip of Bilbo walking up to it in the movie trailers, but that never ended up in the movie, so I figured i'd throw that in there for good measure!**

**Any thoughts or comments? You know the drill! :D Leave a review or send me a PM!**

**Stay tuned! :)**


	24. Knowing What's Right

**This story has reached over 100 reviews! :D You all are simply amazing, thank you!**

**Sorry it took me a while to put this up. I've been super busy with school and I've got finals this week, so it's been crazy!**

**kaia: Don't worry, dear, I have everything all planned out, Aira _will_ tell him what happened to her. All in good time ;P **

**Now, do enjoy this chapter, will you? :)**

.

Aira and Kili spent a little while together alone out on the veranda of Aira's room, just talking and laughing about different things, both unaware that Thorin had been watching them just moments before. It was nice just to have that time together.

Kili stood behind Aira and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his cheek against her temple. Aira laid her hands over his and leaned against him as he placed a kiss on her brow.

"You know what I just realized?" Kili said.

"What?" asked Aira.

"I have yet to braid your hair."

"Why, no, you haven't! And I have yet to braid yours, too."

"I suppose we should change that." Having said that, Kili brought his hands up, took a lock of hair from behind Aira's ears on either side of her head and brought them together in the back. His fingers delicately worked through her silky curly locks as he began making a very intricate Dwarven courting braid.

He felt a smile inch upward on his face. _"This is really happening,"_ he thought. _"I'm actually giving Aira a courting braid!"_ Even in his wildest dreams, he couldn't foresee this. Years ago, he never would've thought of doing such a thing.

He worked at it very carefully; he wanted it to be just right for his dear Princess. Soon, he came close to the end of the braid. He held it in place with one hand, reached into a pouch on his belt with the other and pulled out a silver clasp; one of his own that bore his emblem on it. He slipped the ends of the braid through it and then stepped back to admire his work. A warm feeling of gladness spread through his chest. It was done; Aira was now officially his.

"How does it look?" Aira asked him over her shoulder.

Kili exhaled loudly. "Perfect," he replied in a happy voice.

She turned around, gave him a grateful smile and said, "Now it's my turn."

Kili turned his back to her so she could work with his hair. He already had part of his hair pulled back, so Aira took his ponytail and began to braid it.

The same thought that Kili had ran through Aira's mind: _"This is really happening. I'm actually giving Kili a courting braid!"_ As she ran her fingers through his hair, she noticed how soft it was and she loved the feeling of it. Before long, she came to the end of braiding his wonderful locks and placed one of her own clasps with her personal emblem on the end of it. She continued to finger the braid gently for a minute. Now, Kili was officially hers.

Kili, imitating her, looked over his shoulder and asked, "How does it look?"

Aira snickered. "Fit for a Prince, if I do say so myself," she answered.

He turned to face her, raising his eyebrows questioningly at her. "Oh, do you, now?" he asked, taking her in his strong arms, leaning down and capturing her lips sweetly with his own before she could answer.

Neither of them cared if anyone could see them. Let them see, they both thought. They were together, they were in love and they weren't afraid to show it.

Aira giggled against Kili's mouth as she laid one hand against his chest and the other in his neck before returning the kiss. She absolutely loved the feeling of his soft, supple lips on hers; the warm sparks they created in her chest and stomach. There was so much love in the way he kissed her and held her close to him. Just being with Kili in this way was so invigorating; every feeling she felt with him were the best feelings ever.

Kili felt like the happiest Dwarf in the world with Aira. Every time she was in his arms, his joy would only increase to where he didn't think it was possible to be any happier. Every time he kissed her, it was like a dream come true all over again. He loved her and she loved him in return. He could see it in the way she looked at him, smiled at him, kissed him, held him; in everything she did. He could ask no more than that.

After a moment, they broke apart and their foreheads gently touched.

"I love you so much. You know that, right?" Kili whispered.

"Of course, I do," Aira answered. "And you know I love _you_ very much."

Kili lightly touched her cheek. "There is no power in the world that could make me forget that," he promised.

Aira put her arms around Kili's neck and embraced him, resting her head on the crook of his neck and they just stood there like that for a small moment.

He then said in her ear, "I think I should go see what Fili's up to."

She sighed. "You two really can't be apart for long, can you?" she asked with a small laugh.

Kili laughed back, his breath running down the side of Aira's neck. "We're inseparable!" he replied. "You, of all people, should know that." When she pulled back to look at him, he gave her a wink.

"Indeed, I do," said Aira. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, a light push in the arm and said, "Go find your brother."

He told her good-bye and walked off the veranda and out of the room, leaving her door open as he left.

Now Aira was by herself. Her hand wandered up her neck and into her hair as she fingered the braid Kili had just put in. Instantly, her heart began to beat rapidly with excitement. This was such a big step for them and she felt proud of Kili. He really had changed. He was no longer the Dwarf boy she used to know. Now he was a man.

She didn't know how long she had been out on the veranda before she heard a knock at her door. Aira turned around and was surprised at who she saw standing in the entryway.

"Fili?"

The blonde Prince sheepishly nodded. He took a couple steps into the room, clutching something in his hand at his side.

"Kili just went to find you," Aira told him. But then she sensed right away from the tense look on his face that something wasn't right. "Fili, what's wrong?" she asked, walking back into the room.

"I found Maori…and I talked to her…," Fili explained to her nervously, "and I don't know what I did…but I think I just made a really huge mistake and now she hates me."

Aira's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Maori's one of the kindest women I have ever met. You would've had to have said something _very_ cruel or offensive to make her hate you. I know you wouldn't do anything like that, so I doubt she actually 'hates' you."

Fili raised his eyebrows. "I'm quite certain she does. She did this to me." He held out his hand and opened it, revealing his severed braid and also turning his head so Aira could see the damage.

Her eyes widened as she took the braid and cried out, "What? _Maori_ did this?"

He nodded.

"Well, she's got good aim, considering she missed your head. Give me one of your clasps," she told him, holding out her free hand.

Fili reached into one of his pockets, pulled out one of his clasps and handed it to Aira.

"Can't have you walking around with just a pathetic tuft of hair on your temple," she said to him. She aligned his braid carefully back where it once had been attached. "What did you do to make Maori do this?" she asked as she clasped the braid back into place.

"I really don't know," Fili answered. "I just found her in the stables and we started talking."

"Well, what did you talk about?"

He then relayed to her what had happened from when he had arrived at the stables to when Maori had left, leaving him on the ground, astonished and with a braid chopped off.

"You told her she didn't know how to fight?" Aira questioned firmly. "You _said that_?!"

Fili was a bit surprised at her reaction. "I was only joking," he said.

Aira just then rolled her eyes, let out a heavy sigh, brought up a hand to her forehead and shook her head. "Oh, gods, Fili…!" she complained quietly, more to herself than to him.

"What?" Fili asked, wondering what was going on.

"You should not have said that…you have no idea what you've done."

"I believe I've said that already. Now, could you please explain to me exactly _what_ it is I've done?"

"Sit down, Fili," Aira said, pointing to the bed as she walked towards the door. She took the handle and carefully closed it. Then she turned back to Fili, who had done what he was told and had sat down on the bed. She looked at him solemnly and said, "There is something you need to know about Maori."

Fili nodded, ready to hear what she had to say.

Aira moved back to the bed and sat herself down on it next to Fili. "Normally I would've let Maori tell you this herself," she said to him, taking his hand, "but, after what you told me, I don't think she'll want to anytime soon. So it's left to me to tell you, because you need to know this…it's important."

"Tell me, Aira," Fili pleaded, grasping her hand firmly in both of his and looking intently into her eyes. "Whatever it is, I can handle it. I need to know what I did so I can make things right."

Aira exhaled. "You need to understand this: Maori takes her fighting ability _very_ seriously." And then she began to explain everything while Fili listened closely:

"When she was sixteen years old, still very young in Dwarf years, her father was killed by bandits. They were robbing a group of people and her father tried to stop them, but the situation got out of hand. Maori was with him when it happened.

"The unfortunate thing was she didn't know how to fight properly. She hadn't been taught much by that time, so her father had told her to hide and stay put while he went to take care of the bandits so she would be safe. She watched in horror as she witnessed these men kill her father and there was nothing she could do."

Aira paused briefly to pull herself together as she could feel herself choking up. Then she went on, "For many years after that, Maori carried the guilt of her father's murder. She felt that it was her fault; that she had failed to save him…and all because she didn't know how to fight and couldn't have taken those men, who disappeared shortly after.

"After her father's death, Maori's mother left, too overcome with grief of her loss. Where she went, no one knew and not a soul knows to this day where she is or what has become of her. But she left her two children: Maori, and an older son, Roryk. She left them to deal with their grief…alone…with no father and then without a mother.

"That only made Maori's pain worse. From then on, she was driven by the thought of learning how to fight; how to be the best fighter she could be and the thought of avenging her father. She began to train with anyone in her village who was willing to teach her different forms of combat, including Roryk, her brother. There were many instances, as she grew up, of children her age that would tease her and say she couldn't fight because she was a girl, not knowing about what she had been through. She would prove them wrong, just like she did with you. After a few years, she achieved her first goal and became a skilled warrior; one of the best in her village.

"Then, one day, the same group of bandits returned. Maori and Roryk happened to be close by after they had robbed a couple of women and were trying to get away. Maori spotted them and immediately she and her brother went after them. After a brief chase, they finally cornered them. Maori reminded them of who she was and what they had done years before and they began to laugh at her, calling her a cowardly child who hid while they brutally killed her father. Her anger, hatred and need for revenge then consumed her…and within minutes, all the bandits were dead."

Aira heard Fili let out a small gasp and his hold on her hand tightened. Somehow she knew he would react to that.

"Maori had avenged her father," Aira continued, "and had brought his killers to justice…but then she felt a new pain: the pain of actually taking other people's lives. Many times she had dreamt of seeing those bandits and making them pay with their lives, but she never thought she would actually have the heart to take a life. In her anger, she realized she did and it scared her once she had realized she had done it.

"Roryk had watched it all happen and he noticed how frightened she was afterwards. He told Maori that there was nothing to be worried about. The village would no longer have to worry about the bandits coming around and their souls could be at peace now that their father's killers were gone. It was a bit much for her to handle for a little while, but eventually she was able to move past it."

Aira looked up into Fili's wide-eyed, stunned gaze. She could see in his face how bad Fili felt now that he knew the truth. "I know you were only joking with her before, Fili," she said to him calmly, "but there are times when sarcasm needs to be checked because it's not always appropriate. Maori does not take her fighting lightly because, even to this day, she still carries a small amount of guilt for what happened to her father. Now you know why she was so hostile with you in the stables."

Fili groaned, "Oh, Mahal…!" and buried his face in his hands, feeling absolutely awful. He had listened to every word of Aira's tale and was shocked to hear about everything Maori had been through. Now he was mentally beating himself for having been so naïve with her before!

"If I would've known…," he sighed.

"You had just barely met her, there was no way you could've known," said Aira, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I would just say to watch your sarcasm a little more in the future. I know some find it to be funny, but, as you've found out, there are some who don't. Do not be so hard on yourself."

"Oh, Aira…what am I going to do? I've really messed up this time. I like Maori; I fancy her…but I fear that now any chances I could've had with her are lost."

"It's not too late. She fancies you, too, Fili."

He looked up, his face softening with optimism. "Really?" he asked, a smile twitching up on his face.

She smiled back at him and nodded. "And if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she is also very forgiving. Just find her, give her a heartfelt apology and I'm positive she'll let you off and will start speaking to you again."

"You really think she will?"

"I _know_ she will, trust me." Then Aira smirked and added, "Besides, I would love to see my brother courting my best friend!" She winked at him and gave him a playful nudge.

Fili smiled widely at the thought and also at the fact that Aira had just called him "brother" for the first time. "How lucky am I to have you, Aira!" he exclaimed happily as he embraced her.

"Everything will be all right, Fili, I promise," Aira whispered in his ear.

Fili pulled back and took her face in his hands, still smiling. He firmly kissed her right cheek, then her left and her forehead last before saying to her, "I love you, dear sister! I knew you would be able to help. Thank you for being there for me."

"Always, dear brother," Aira replied as she pulled him back into a tight hug.

* * *

Unfortunately, Fili was unable to locate Maori anywhere in the city for hours. Aira reassured him that she most likely had just gone out for a ride to calm herself down and clear her head. It was unlikely that she would actually leave Rivendell over what happened between the two of them and Aira promised Fili she would be back.

Throughout a good portion of the day, Aira spent her time with Fili and Kili, just taking walks around the city together and chatting away like normal about many things. In that time, Fili had informed Kili of what had happened with him and Maori and Aira re-told Maori's story to him. He too had been shocked to hear what she had experienced.

They also spent a little bit of time with the others in the company during mealtimes, although after the disappointing dinner they had had the previous night, the Dwarves decided they would be providing their own food. The Elves weren't entirely pleased with that, but Elrond allowed it, being the unprejudiced soul that he was. As per usual, they would eat, drink and play merry music or tell stories to each other.

Evening soon came and the dark night sky began to overshadow the Valley. Aira was leaving her room, having just changed her bandages and re-dressed her wound, when she caught Bilbo Baggins walking her way.

"Aira! Just who I was looking for!" he cried out when he saw her.

"How may I help you, Bilbo?" Aira asked politely.

"Gandalf sent me to come find you. He said he needs the both of us for something; something important."

"He didn't tell you what exactly?"

"Nope, that's all he said. That and to meet him in Elrond's study."

"Well, all right, then. Let's go and see what Gandalf wants."

Together, the Hobbit and the Dwarf woman began to make their way to Lord Elrond's study.

"Are you enjoying it here, Bilbo?" Aira asked.

He nodded with a grin. "Oh, very much!" he replied. "I've only ever dreamed of seeing this place. It's even more amazing than I thought."

"Indeed. I think so, too."

"Well, of course you would. You found love here!" Bilbo gave Aira a very pleasant smile as he said this.

She smiled back and fought the urge to giggle like a little girl while thinking of her and Kili.

"I may not know the two of you as well as I would like, but I can see you two really love each other. When you announced that this morning, I could just see it in the way you looked at him, the way he smiled at you and pulled you into his arms." Bilbo reached over and gave Aira's hand a friendly squeeze. "I'm very happy for you, Aira."

She grasped his hand back. "Thank you, Bilbo!" she told him. "Now, is there a special Hobbit lady of your own back in the Shire?"

Bilbo shook his head.

Aira gasped. "What? A handsome lad like you doesn't have a special lady? I don't believe that for a minute! Surely there must be dozens upon dozens of women lining up at your door!" she exclaimed optimistically.

Chuckling, Bilbo shook his head again. "No, I am afraid not, but I do appreciate your enthusiasm," he said in response.

Aira could see they were close to Elrond's study. "Well, I think any Hobbit woman would be very lucky to be with you, Bilbo Baggins!"

"I would say the same about you and any Dwarf man, but I don't have to, seeing as how one, a Prince, no less, has already stolen your heart."

Aira giggled lightly as they reached the entrance to the study and found Gandalf and Elrond inside. The Elf Lord was looking through one of his books near the back of the room and the wizard was standing alone close to the entryway.

He caught sight of the Hobbit and the young Dwarf woman. "Ah, Bilbo, Airaním! I'm glad to see you came," he greeted them.

"What's going on, Gandalf?" asked Aira.

He stepped closer to her and Bilbo. "I have informed Elrond that we require his help."

"You told him of the map, then?"

"Yes…but I am afraid that we still have one problem: Thorin is the one who has the map."

Aira immediately knew where this was going. She rolled her eyes and grinned expectantly. "And you want to use _me_ as leverage against him to get him to give Elrond the map?" she said in a soft tone, as if she could read Gandalf's mind.

Sure enough, he nodded.

"But, Gandalf, the last time I tried to make him see reason about any of this, things didn't go so well."

"We need Elrond to read that map for us, but Thorin will hear none of it. Out of everyone in the company, you are the only one who agrees with me and you have the greatest influence over him. I know he will listen to you. He and Balin are on their way here right now."

Gandalf then turned to Bilbo. "As you for you, my dear Bilbo, I know how much you've always wanted to see the Elves and I thought it would be good for you to be here when Elrond reads the map."

They heard approaching footsteps and saw Thorin and Balin coming through the entryway to the room. Gandalf looked over his shoulder to Elrond and the Elf Lord put his book back on the shelf and walked over to join them.

As she saw the two older Dwarves come in, Aira thought to herself, _"If it comes down to it, I really hope I can convince Thorin of what he has to do."_

Thorin glanced at Bilbo and Aira quizzically, wondering why they were there. He looked to Gandalf suspiciously. "What is going on, Gandalf?" he asked.

"What's all this about?" Balin added.

Gandalf answered, "I think you know the answer to that."

Thorin glared at him, now realizing what was going on and getting irritated with the wizard's persistence. Balin also noticed and began pacing back and forth.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" said Thorin. "Our business is no concern of Elves!"

"For goodness sake, Thorin! Show him the map!" Gandalf told him firmly.

"It is the legacy of my people," Thorin replied boldly. "It is mine to protect…as are its secrets."

Now Gandalf was getting annoyed. "Save me from the stubbornness of Dwarves!" he cried out. He looked back to Thorin. "Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-Earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond!"

Thorin shook his head. "Put it out of your mind, Gandalf. It's not going to happen," he stated, turning on his heel and trudging out of the room.

Aira rolled her eyes. _"Unbelievable…!"_ she complained in her head.

Balin took a step to follow him, but Aira stopped him. "No, stay here, Balin," she told him. "I'm going to go talk to him." Then she followed after Thorin before Balin could say anything.

* * *

He hadn't gotten too far when she caught up with him, grabbed him by the arm to halt him and said, "Thorin, stop. Think about what you're doing."

"There is nothing to think about, Airaním," Thorin snapped, wrenching his arm out of her grasp, still facing away from her. "Gandalf put you up to this…but I won't have it, not from you. My word is final."

"Thorin, listen to me…!" Aira said in a pleading voice, hoping he would turn around and look at her so she could speak to him.

He simply stood there, breathing heavily in frustration.

Aira, getting frustrated herself, decided that, if he wasn't going to listen to her willingly, she was going to make him listen. "Thorin!" she said even louder and with a more stern voice that made Thorin look back at her with a surprised look on his face.

Now that she had his attention, she was determined to get through to him. "Please…," she went on, still in a firm voice, "you have to show Elrond the map. If you don't let him do this, you will be left with nothing. We will have no way of knowing how to get into the mountain. There is no point in trying to take back your gold and your home if you don't know how to actually get inside to reclaim it!"

She stopped for a brief minute, realizing she was unintentionally starting to lose her composure a little and Thorin was just staring at her before turning his gaze down to the ground. He could see how adamant she was about this and was starting to think she was right, but, naturally, his pride was getting the best of him.

Aira took a deep breath to calm herself down and thought of a different and better approach to use with Thorin. She said to him in a calmer manner, "Thorin, I know your reasons for this quest go beyond just wanting to fulfill your father and grandfather's dreams of taking back your kingdom. I know you are doing this for Fili, Kili and me. You want to give us a proper home to live in; the land of our heritage."

Thorin's head slowly lifted up, his eyes now wide again, stunned in awareness at what she was saying.

Immediately, Aira continued, "Do not ask me how I know; the point is: I do. If this quest is really that important, wouldn't you do all that you could to see it through, even if it meant letting go of your pride just so one Elf, who hasn't wronged you, can read a map that'll help you achieve that goal?"

Once again, Thorin found himself feeling a little guilty and unable to look at Aira directly. He looked away and back to the ground.

Aira took a step closer to Thorin, seeing that her words were having an effect on him like she had hoped. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, even though he wouldn't look at her, "I implore you to see reason! The only option left besides all this is to let Smaug win…and I know you would never choose that in a thousand years! You want to take back everything the dragon stole from you; this is what needs to be done to accomplish that. There is no other choice, Thorin, and you know it."

She took another step and she was now standing directly in front of him. Tenderly, she brought a hand to his bearded cheek and lifted his face so that his gaze locked with hers. She said to him as adequately yet straightforward as she could, "Put aside the prideful, stubborn Dwarf that you are." Then Aira looked into Thorin's eyes with great affection and fondness. "Be the wise, humble King I _know_ you to be! Show Elrond the map…so we can find a way into the mountain and reclaim our home."

Aira noticed the corners of his mouth began to twitch a little and she couldn't help but smile slightly herself in satisfaction. Her words had seemed to reach him, just as she had wanted.

Thorin's grin grew as he let out a light scoff and shook his head. Was there ever a time when Aira _didn't_ affect him in some way? He knew she was right and he reluctantly admitted it to himself. Whatever answer was hidden in the map, they needed it and this was the only way to get it. He still wasn't entirely happy about an Elf being one of the only ones who could read it for him, not to mention being tricked into coming to Rivendell in the first place, but what other choice was there?

"What would I do without you?" he asked her.

Aira grinned. "You'll never have to find out," she answered proudly, "because you'll never be without me. I'm not going anywhere."

Thorin grinned back and proceeded to walk the other direction.

Aira stayed where she was, feeling proud that she had been able to get through to him. Honestly, the situation went a little differently than she had thought. She supposed he would've argued with her a little more, but perhaps he had learned his lesson after their awful fight back at the Trollshaws.

"Aren't you coming?"

Slightly startled, Aira turned around and noticed Thorin was standing in place a few feet away, looking at her curiously. Once she faced him, he held out an inviting hand to her. "I'm not going back there alone," he declared. He wanted her to come with him.

Now even more pleased with him, Aira nodded and moved to join him. Thorin wrapped his arm around Aira's shoulders, kissed the top of her head, and the two of them headed back to Elrond's study.

* * *

Gandalf, Elrond, Bilbo and Balin were still waiting for them when Aira and Thorin returned. They all eyed the pair of them inquisitively; wondering what was going to happen now that they were back.

As he walked back into the room, Thorin reached into his tunic for the map and said to them, "It appears my mind has been changed."

As she took her place by Bilbo, Aira caught Gandalf's eye and she gave him a confirming and encouraging wink.

Balin, however, still didn't think showing the map to Elrond was a good idea. "Thorin, no!" he said quietly, reaching out to stop him.

Thorin just held up a hand and shoved Balin's away, signaling that his mind was made up. Almost reluctantly, he walked up to Elrond and handed him the folded map.

Carefully, Elrond opened the parchment and began to examine it.

"Erebor?" he stated after a short moment, realizing what the map was for. "What is your interest in this map?" he asked.

Thorin opened his mouth to answer.

"It's mainly academic," Gandalf quickly responded for him, taking Thorin by surprise as well as Balin, Aira and Bilbo. He went on to justify his answer, "As you know, this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text."

As Elrond turned away to look at the map in better light, Gandalf shot Thorin a quick glance that told him, _"Leave it to me."_ Thorin took notice and gave him a subtle yet thankful look back.

"You still read ancient Dwarvish, do you not?" Gandalf asked Elrond.

The Elf Lord held the map up in the bright moonlight, examining it more thoroughly. "Ah, _cirth ithil_…!" he said out loud.

"Moon runes?" Gandalf gasped, translating Elrond's Elvish. "Of course."

Aira and Bilbo shared a quizzical glance.

"An easy thing to miss!" Gandalf stated, catching their shared look.

"Well, in this case, that is true," said Elrond, turning the map and looking it over. He turned back and informed them, "Moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day in which they were written."

"Can you read them?" Thorin asked him.

Elrond took another look at the parchment in his hands. After a moment, he responded, "These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly 200 years ago." He glanced back up at Thorin, a positive gleam in his eye. "It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell," he told the Dwarf. "Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon will shine upon us in four night's time."

"You will able to read them in four night's time?" Aira asked just to clarify.

Elrond gave her a nod. "Indeed, Miss Airaním."

She let out a sigh of relief, glanced over at Thorin and said, "Well, it's a good thing we'll be around, then!"

* * *

**Fili's POV**

Back in Rivendell's stables, Fili was sitting on a pile of hay in a corner, leaning up against a pole, fast asleep. After dinner that evening, he had gone back to the stables to see if Maori was there or if her pony was there, meaning she had come back. Unfortunately, neither of them was there. Even though Aira had reassured him multiple times that she would be back, he still couldn't help but worry. After Aira had told him Maori's story, Fili had been feeling awful inside all day and desperately wished that she would return so he could apologize for offending her. So he had been waiting in the stables for hours for her and eventually he had fallen asleep.

He found himself unable to stop thinking about her. They had only met briefly and yet there was something about her that he was quite drawn to. At first he thought it was her beauty, which he certainly _was_ attracted to, but he realized that it was something more than that. He had felt that there was a connection between them the moment he first looked into her eyes and he couldn't explain it.

_"Now I really know how Kili felt before,"_ Fili, just before falling asleep, had thought to himself, remembering again how his brother had experienced the same thing when he first discovered his feelings for Aira days before.

He didn't know how long he had been asleep when he heard the soft noise of hooves coming into the stables and Fili immediately woke up. He peered around the pole he was leaning against and could see in the moonlight the silhouette of Maori tying up Dean in a stall. Once she finished, she started to walk out and Fili got up to follow her.

"Maori!" he called.

Maori stopped in her tracks and stood there. Fili was surprised that he hadn't startled her.

He heard her chuckle softly. Without turning around, she said, "Somehow I knew you would be here when I returned."

Part of Fili was comforted that Maori, at least, had been expecting him. He moved closer to her. "Maori, I know…about your father."

She slowly turned around, averting her gaze at first, but then she met his. In her face, there was a look of neutrality, like she was neither angry nor happy.

"Aira told you," she acknowledged.

Fili nodded. "I am so sorry about earlier," he said to her. "If I would have known—"

"Fili, stop!" Maori ordered, looking away and holding up a hand to silence him.

That startled him, but he kept quiet, wondering what she was going to say.

After half a minute of silence passed, Maori went on, "That's the point: you _didn't _know, Fili, and that's why you don't have to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me." She looked back up at him and he could see traces of tears forming in her eyes. "We had just barely met, there wasn't any way you could've known about what I'd been through. I'm just so used to being quick to grab my sword and be defensive when someone says I can't fight. I still to this day carry a small amount of guilt for what happened to my father and I can't help it sometimes. You didn't deserve to have me attack you the way I did and I want to say I'm sorry."

Fili just stared at her, unsure of what to say.

Noticing his silence, Maori decided to ask him, "Did Aira also tell you about what happened to the bandits?"

Still not saying a word, he nodded again.

Now the tears in her eyes began to fall down her cheeks. "I suppose you must despise me for that."

Fili was taken aback by her comment. "Why would I despise you?" he asked.

"I killed people, Fili! I took multiple lives! It's different when you kill an Orc or a Goblin or any sort of evil creature. These were _men_ I killed! How can I live that down?"

Fili went up to her and took her hands firmly in his. "Maori, they were your father's killers," he told her. "They were thieves and murderers. You brought them to justice for what they did; your actions were justified. I understand it all, really. I would have done the same thing if that happened to my uncle." He reached up and gently brushed away one of her tears. Then he took her face in his hands, looked intently into her lovely amber eyes and said, "I do not despise you for what you did, Maori. Honestly, I don't."

Maori almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. She really had thought that Fili would hate her, but here he was looking at her with his caring sapphire eyes and telling her the opposite of what she expected. She felt a smile curl up gratefully on her lips. She should've known better. Aira had told her many things about Fili and they were always good things. She should've known he would be different than most people and that made her feel happy. The Dwarf she found herself attracted to was unlike anyone she'd ever met.

Her eyes wandered over to the side of his head and she fingered his braid. "I'm sorry about your braid, too," she said. "At least you got it fixed, mostly. When I came at you earlier, at the time, I thought it was for good measure."

Fili chuckled. "It's all right. Better my braid than my head."

That made Maori laugh a little and Fili couldn't help but smile. Her laugh was wonderful and the smile she got when she laughed was even more so. Once again, he felt something tugging inside him and that same connection from before returned.

All of a sudden, he found himself leaning towards her before his mind even processed what was going on. Once it did, he stopped himself, realizing what he was doing and knowing it was wrong.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning back. Although, what surprised him was that she didn't move at all.

She knew what he had meant to do and it seemed that Maori could read Fili's mind because she then said to him, confirming why she hadn't moved away, "No…I want you to."

She was giving him a look of permission, inviting him to carry on.

Fili was shocked. He wasn't anticipating that in the slightest. Yet he also felt relieved. It had taken a good deal of self-control to pull away the first time, but now he could see he didn't have to hold back.

Submitting with Maori's implied request, Fili caressed her face gently with his hand, leaned back towards her and ever so gently placed a kiss on her soft lips. Right away he could feel her kiss him back.

Immediately, they both experienced a warm sensation inside that they had never felt before. Neither of them expected to feel that way so fast, but it was thrilling, nonetheless.

They pulled apart and gazed at each other, speechless and amazed, unable to find the right words to say. Instead, they just smiled at each other and Maori started to turn and walk away, knowing there was nothing else to say.

However, she stopped after a few steps and twisted around to look back at the handsome Dwarf Prince whom she now realized had in fact stolen her heart. "I would very much like to see you again, Fili," she said a bit shyly.

Fili grinned widely at the beautiful half-Dwarf woman who had captured his attention from the moment he laid eyes on her. "I would like that very much, too, Maori," he replied back.

The two young people gave each other one last happy glance and then parted ways for the night on the best of terms.

.

**Hope you all enjoyed this :) **

**I apologize if the last bit with Fili and Maori seemed a bit cheesy or perhaps a bit too rushed, but that's just how it turned out. **

**And also the rest of the moon runes scene will come later, I've just broken it up a bit for the purpose of what's going on in the story.**

**Leave a review or shoot me a PM! Much appreciated :D**


	25. The Start of Something Grand

**Firstly, I apologize for taking a little while with my update. I had finals last week and life's just been crazy!**

**Secondly, I do hope that people aren't losing interest in this story...I noticed that the last chapter didn't get as many views or reviews...I'm kinda starting to wonder a bit... :P**

**Thirdly, I realized that there are 9 chapters (10, including this one) that take place in Rivendell...I know I've kept the company there a long time and it might be dragging a bit, but don't worry, I promise that I have just one more chapter after this one in Rivendell and then the story will move on! The company will finally be leaving the city! Just continue to bear with me! xP**

**With that being said, let us carry on...! :)**

**.**

The next morning, Fili told Kili and Aira what had happened with him and Maori the previous night right up to before their first kiss. He wanted that to be a bit more of a surprise. Aira had once again spent the night with Kili, so they both were there when they awoke that morning for Fili to tell them. To say that they were excited would have been an understatement.

"I'm so glad you made amends with her, brother!" Kili cried out, pulling him into his embrace.

"I told you everything would be all right!" Aira added, patting him on the back.

"But wait: there's more," said Fili. Once he made sure they were both listening, he simply told them, "Before we parted ways last night, I kissed her."

Kili's eyes widened and Aira gasped, bringing her hands over her mouth. Fili couldn't tell if she was shocked with concern or with gladness. Honestly, she couldn't tell herself; she wanted to wait and hear the rest before she said anything.

Fili went on, "I felt the urge to kiss her and I started to give in to it, but then I stopped myself and apologized. However, to my surprise, she said she wanted me to…so I gladly obliged!"

A huge smile spread on Aira's face as she let out a loud, ecstatic shriek and jumped onto Fili, throwing her arms tightly around his neck and making him stumble back a bit. He and Kili laughed at her excitement.

"Oh, Fili, I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed. "I knew she wouldn't turn you away so easily!"

When she let him go, Kili gave him a devious look and asked, "So…how was it?"

Fili smirked back at him, knowing his younger brother would ask such a question. "It was wonderful," he replied. "I didn't expect Maori to want me to kiss her so soon, but the fact that she did made it even better. It was just one kiss, but, by Mahal, I have never experienced anything like it."

Both Aira and Kili smiled cheerfully.

He kept talking, "The moment it happened, there was this rush of warmth that ran through my whole body unlike anything I've ever felt and it was…_amazing_! I'm almost certain she felt it, too, because she immediately kissed me back. It was…just unbelievable!"

Another high-pitched squeal escaped Aira's mouth.

Kili let out a hearty laugh and hugged Fili tightly, feeling very happy for him.

"I understand now, Kili," Fili whispered in his ear.

He smiled, knowing exactly what his brother was talking about.

Aira was smiling hugely and giggling lightly to herself. She was so overjoyed for Fili, not just because he had reconciled with Maori, but also because she was excited to hear that a possible romance was blossoming between him and her best friend. She could see how happy Fili was now and that made her just as happy.

"You see? I told you Maori fancied you!" she said to him.

Fili grinned at her. "I never doubted you, sweet sister," he responded, pulling her into a quick group embrace with him and Kili.

When they all pulled apart, Aira told Fili, "If only you could've seen how she looked at you when she first spotted you sparring or heard the things she said about you."

"What did she say?"

"Well, I asked her, when we got there, if she could spot which two of the Dwarves were you two, having told her much about the both of you. Maori was able to spot you both right away. She described Kili as the 'handsome, dark-haired one with no beard' and then you as the 'dashing, blonde one with the interesting lip-braids'."

Fili grinned enormously at that.

Kili, however, let out an upset gasp. "Fili gets 'dashing' and all I get is 'handsome'?" he asked, pretending to be offended.

Aira raised her eyebrows at him. "And why are you so worried about what another woman thinks of you?" she asked back, teasing.

"Well, I'm much more handsome than Fili!"

"In your dreams, Kee!" Fili said back to Kili, giving him a gentle smack on the arm.

"You _both_ are very handsome lads," said Aira. Then she looked to Kili and told him, "If it makes you feel better, when I told her the dark-haired one was you; the Prince I was in love with, she gave me a very approving look and said, 'A very excellent choice!'"

That made Kili smirk gladly.

"But, then again…part of me thinks that maybe she only said that because she was relieved that the Prince _she_ was clearly attracted to wasn't the one I was with…!"

Both the Princes chuckled and the Princess did, too.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door. Kili was the one to tell whoever was on the other side to come in. The door opened and they all saw Maori stick her head inside.

Fili's heart jumped up into his throat as he saw her.

"Good morning, everyone," she said.

"Good morning," they all replied in unison.

"Did you all sleep well?"

"Yes, yes, we did," Kili responded.

Maori soon found Fili gazing at her and she smiled shyly at him. "Hello, Fili," she simply said to him.

"Hello, Maori," Fili replied.

The two of them just stared at each other, grinning timidly like little children.

Both Aira and Kili noticed this, exchanged a look and rolled their eyes at Fili and Maori's bashfulness. They weren't going to get _anywhere_ if they kept gawking at each other like shy, love-sick puppies!

"Oh, for Durin's sake! Maori, get in here!" Aira cried out in an impatient yet glad voice, motioning for her best friend to come to them.

Maori obeyed and entered the room, carefully making her way over to stand between Aira and Fili.

"You know, we actually were just talking about you," Aira said to her as she put an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, were you, now?" Maori asked curiously.

"Oh, yes! Fili was telling us how you two made amends last night and…are getting along _quite_ well, if I remember correctly." Aira gave her friend a very devious smirk, hinting she knew about what had happened.

Maori blushed a deep red and stole a glance at Fili, who was also blushing. Normally, neither of them were ever this shy about this sort of thing, but for some reason, they now were and they couldn't explain why. Maori knew that Aira would tease her about this if Fili said anything, which she expected him to, so she just laughed.

"Yes, I would say we are…and I'm very glad for that," she said, smiling at Fili.

He gave her a smile back, took her hand in his, leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, which earned a giddy squeal from Aira and a teasing laugh from Kili while pointing at them.

"Oh, shut it!" Fili cried out, feeling slightly embarrassed, while Maori just giggled.

Kili then said, invitingly, "Maori, we were all thinking of taking a walk in the gardens this morning. You should join us!"

She was glad to receive such an invitation, but, opposite of her initial answer, she began to protest. "Oh, no, I couldn't," she said, holding up her hands. "I don't want to intrude on your time together."

"We've had years of time with just the three of us!" said Aira. "Adding one more person to spend time with us will not hurt, in the least."

"And any friend of Aira's is a friend of ours," Kili said, pointing between him and Fili and giving Maori a reassuring grin. Then he motioned to his brother with his eyes and said, "Besides, I know Fili would be very happy to have you along."

Fili just grinned and shook his head. _"I'm never going to live this down…!" _he thought in a pleasant way.

Maori felt flattered by Kili's remarks. She remembered Aira telling her on multiple occasions how much of a sweetheart Kili was and now she could see for herself just how true it was. "Well…if you insist!" she finally conceded. "I would love to join you all on a walk in the gardens."

"Splendid!" Kili exclaimed, throwing his arms up and overdramatizing it all.

Aira jumped forward, grabbing Maori's hand before turning back to the brothers. "I'm going to go change out of my nightdress first. Maori and I will come get you two when we're ready."

She gave Kili a quick kiss before turning to leave, pulling her friend right behind her.

"Well, don't _I _get a kiss, too?"

Both Maori and Aira stopped, giggling together at Fili's not-so-subtle and rather cheeky question. They both just knew that they wouldn't be able to leave without him saying anything. The two ladies stole a glance at each other, both of them of them grinning from ear to ear. Aira gave Maori a look that said, _"You might as well."_

Maori turned back around and walked back to Fili, who was looking rather pleased with himself for getting her to come back. Seeing this cocky look on his face, she figured she couldn't let him get what he wanted so straightforwardly, so she came up with a simple idea to tease him a little. She went up to him and barely brushed her lips just across his cheek and turned to walk away, smirking to herself.

Fili gasped. "Aw, you've got to be—"

He was cut short when Maori, still smirking, quickly whipped around, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward so their lips crashed together. She let them linger there for a moment, surprising him and Kili at how forward she just was.

Aira, on the other hand, was standing there grinning and thinking, _"That's the Maori I know!"_

Maori pulled away from Fili and asked him, "Now, is that better?"

"Much…," Fili breathed out, still wide-eyed and trying to set his mind straight again after it went mad from Maori's kiss.

Satisfied, Maori went back to Aira and the two of them left the Princes alone in their room.

"She seems like quite a keeper, Fee!" Kili stated to his dazed brother.

"So it would seem…," Fili responded as he raised a hand up to his grinning mouth, the warmth of her lips still lingering and tingling on his, and still staring in the direction of the door at the place where Maori had been only seconds ago.

Kili continued to watch his brother, amused at the trance he had fallen into. It was amazing just how strong of a hold Maori had over him in such a short amount of time. The way he kept lightly touching his lips and stared at the door really made Kili think he was under a love spell.

"Maori certainly has bewitched you," he said to Fili, making him snap back to reality. "And I thought _Aira_ was the Dwarf Witch."

Fili bobbed his head and said in reply, "Well, it would appear she had a novice!"

The brothers just laughed.

* * *

"What is going on with you?" Aira cried out through a light laugh as she and Maori reached her room and shut the door behind them. "You are normally _never_ shy, especially around men! But then, after last night…something's changed you, Maori!"

Maori just nodded. "Fili is what's changed me," she answered. "The way he makes me feel is unlike anything I've ever known."

Aira could feel her smile grow bigger and bigger as Maori continued to talk.

"You know that I'll flirt endlessly with other men, but I've never had serious feelings for one before. Then I meet Fili…and within seconds, my whole world has changed. Suddenly, I'm shy and giddy around him all at the same time. When he first kissed my hand yesterday, my heart stopped!

"After I left him in the stables, I didn't stay away from the city all day because I was mad at him; I stayed away because I was mad with _myself_. I knew I had overreacted and feared that I had forfeited any chance I could've had with Fili. And then, our kiss…." Maori smiled and sighed dreamily. "Oh, Aira, when he kissed me, I thought my heart was going to burst from my chest! I've never wanted anyone to kiss me so much like I did with him then. It was just wonderful!"

By this time, Aira's smile had grown so large she thought her face was going to split. She had never seen her friend so happy and excited and that filled her with absolute joy. Not just for Maori, but for Fili, too, knowing that he was feeling the same way. The two of them were absolutely perfect for each other! Aira felt even more grateful that they came to Rivendell. If they hadn't, Fili never would've met the perfect woman nor would Maori have met her Prince.

"Aira, can I ask you something, even if it's a little silly?" Maori asked.

"Of course, Maori," Aira answered.

"Is it possible—" Maori stopped, thinking of a better way to word her question. Then she proceeded to say, "I know it's only been a day and much too soon for this, normally, but…do you think I'm in love with Fili?"

That was certainly something Aira had thought about since Maori had first noticed Fili in the sparring area. She couldn't help but grin. Somehow she knew Maori would ask that question at some time. But she didn't know all that much about love. What answer could she give without discouraging her or encouraging her to take things too fast?

Just as this question entered her mind, a memory came to her of something a wise woman in her life had once told her. It was the perfect answer.

Aira clasped Maori's hand reassuringly. "I am no expert in love, but someone I know _is_, more than I. I'm going to tell you something that Thorin's sister; Fili and Kili's mother, Dis, told me once a long time ago. She said, 'Love can come to you in two different ways: it can come fast as light or sure and steady like the beginning of a midsummer's rain. Whichever way it chooses to bestow itself upon you, it is for eternity.' It well may be that, for you, love has come to you faster than normal, if you really think it's love you feel."

"I cannot be certain," said Maori, "but yet I can't think of any other explanation." She thought back to what Aira said Dis had told her. "And Dis sounds like a wise woman, indeed," she said to her friend, starting to feel a bit better.

Aira nodded, remembering the only Dwarf woman she had ever known as a mother. She missed her very much and it was sad to think that Dis still didn't know what had become of her since she never made it back to the Blue Mountains before going to Hobbiton.

She looked back to Maori. "I would just advise you to be careful and not rush things," she said. "While I do believe Fili may just possibly feel the same way, or is on his way to that point, you can never be too careful."

Maori gave Aira a grateful smile. "I will remember that. Thank you, Aira!"

Aira smiled back. "What are friends for?"

* * *

The ladies joined up with the Princes shortly and then departed for the beautiful gardens of Imladris. The trees and flowers were all in full bloom and all their different colors were quite vibrant in the morning sun. If they hadn't thought Rivendell was beautiful before, they certainly did now. It didn't matter to any of them that it was an Elven city; that didn't deteriorate from the fact that it was a wondrous place.

The two young couples were in complete delight as the morning drew on. Aira, Kili, Maori and Fili simply talked the time away as they walked among and sat in the gardens together, laughing and telling stories. Mostly it consisted of Fili and Kili asking Maori questions and she would ask the two of them questions in return, wanting to get to know each other better.

For Fili and Maori, this time together was perfect. They didn't mind that Aira and Kili were with them; they were still together and they knew that, to an extent, they didn't need to be shy to each other in front of the other two. They were beginning to get used to their newfound attachment. They had held hands during the walk and, as the four young people sat and talked, Maori sat close to Fili, laced her arm underneath his and rested her head on his shoulder. The way her head fit in the crook in his neck was practically perfect, like two pieces of a puzzle that were made to fit together. Both Maori and Fili enjoyed that feeling immensely.

The both of them, as well as Aira and Kili, who were both constantly thrilled with excitement, could tell that this was the start of something grand.

* * *

Later that day, when the four young people joined back up with the rest of the company for the afternoon meal, who all insisted that Maori join them, Kili raised an interesting question to the group:

"Why is it that Thorin and Maori are the only ones here that have Dwarven surnames? How come the rest of us don't have any?"

"Surnames are given the same way that swords are named: for the great deeds that Dwarves do in war," answered Balin after taking a sip of wine. "That is how Thorin got the name 'Oakenshield', the story of which, you already know. Although, there are times where the names are given based upon a Dwarf's occupation or skills, such as Maori's name, 'Irondelver', because of her great-great-grandfather's occupation as a blacksmith and a miner."

"Are there other ways to get a surname other than that?" asked Aira.

Oin shifted his ear trumpet and said in response, "They can be passed down as a family name, like Maori's, or, in some few cases, they can be given based on a Dwarf's personality or physical appearance."

Kili's lips spread into a smirk and he stole a look over at Dwalin. "So I guess I can start calling you 'Dwalin Baldhead'," he teased.

Everyone snickered at that, even Thorin. They all expected Dwalin to snap back at the young Prince, but instead he smirked at him in return and said, wittily, "Try it and see what happens, 'Kili No-Beard'!"

A chorus of "Oh's" and hearty laughs sounded from everyone at Dwalin's clever comeback. Nori and Aira were pointing jesting fingers at Kili, knowing the older Dwarf had him beat.

Kili's face scrunched up as he pretended to be hurt by Dwalin's remark. "Oh, that was below the belt!" he cried out in mock pain before succumbing to his own laughter.

"So how come no one else has a name?" asked Fili. "Most of us here have been in battle and have done great things."

"Some of us just don't want one," Gloin said in response.

Bofur then chimed in, "It doesn't make you any less of a Dwarf if you don't have another name."

Bilbo, who, all the while, had been sitting quietly and listening to the conversation, suddenly had a thought. He got it when he had watched Aira laughing at Kili a minute before. "Can Dwarf women be given surnames?" he inquired.

The Dwarves all looked at him curiously before Balin replied, "They can, yes. Not always for battle reasons, since most women don't fight in war, but yes."

Satisfied, Bilbo looked over at Aira and stated to everyone while keeping his eyes on her, "I think Aira should be given a surname!"

This took Aira by surprise and she gave the Hobbit an interesting look. But before she could say anything, all the other Dwarves began to shout and voice their agreements with Bilbo's suggestion. While she thought the whole idea was a bit random, and honestly was perfectly content with 'Oakenshield' being her given surname, she agreed to let them choose a name for her.

At first, she started to wish she hadn't because the names the others were coming up with for her were ridiculous.

Kili insisted her name be "Beautiful-Eyes", but that, not even being a Dwarven name, earned a lot of disgusted groans from the others, Aira included, despite his attempt to be his usual charming self.

Dori suggested "Wargslayer" for her deeds before their arrival in Rivendell, but Aira didn't really want a name with the word "Warg" in it.

Bifur, in Khuzdul, naturally, said her name should be "Stonewill" because she was a strong-willed girl, and, while Aira appreciated that, it just didn't sit well with her.

Just then, Dwalin pounded a fist into the table, his eyes wide and proud. "I've got it!" he exclaimed when everyone's startled heads turned his direction. He turned to Aira. "I've got the perfect name for you, Aira."

She gave him an inquiring glance.

He grinned largely and said, "Goldenheart. For the purity of your heart and soul."

Everyone was silent and Aira froze. She was so touched by Dwalin's statement; she couldn't find the right words to say to him. Her mouth just hung open and she stared at him.

Balin stood up from his chair, moved over behind his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. Then he looked at Aira pleasantly and told her, "I have to agree with Dwalin. I think 'Goldenheart' is very fitting for you."

Aira gasped, a smile curling up on her face. Then she found herself looking over at Thorin.

He gave her a warm smile and said, "It's perfect."

"All in favor of giving Aira the name 'Goldenheart'?" asked Balin, raising his glass to everyone.

The rest of the company all raised their mugs and glasses and cried out, "Aye!"

Balin glanced back at Aira. "Now all that's left is for you to accept it."

She nodded, her eyes starting to fill with happy tears. "Yes, of course, I accept!" she exclaimed, earning loud shouts of gladness from the others. She stood up and moved over to Dwalin, who stood up as well. "Dwalin, that was so thoughtful of you," she told him, her smile getting bigger. "I don't know what to say…except thank you." With that, she threw her arms around Dwalin's waist and embraced him gladly.

He put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly. "You didn't think the Oakenshield's were the only ones that loved you for your good heart, did you?" he asked with a merry chuckle.

Aira laughed, turned back to face the others and said brightly, "Airaním Goldenheart…I like the sound of that!"

* * *

Over the course of the next four days, everyone's routines were practically the same: a couple hours of sparring each day, taking walks throughout the city, resting, relaxing; Elrond even said they could explore his library if they so wished. Aira and Ori were the only ones that took advantage of that while the others took to doing whatever else they wanted. And, as Elrond had promised, Aira's wound was mending well and was almost fully healed, which made everyone happy. She had almost even forgotten about the wound, due to the lack of pain she felt from Elrond's healing.

Also as the days went on, Fili and Maori grew even closer together; something that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the company. They figured it was bound to happen since Fili had kissed Maori's hand when she was introduced to them. And, to the young ones' dismay, the older Dwarves had made yet another wager about how long it would take for the two of them to get together. When they told the company that it only took a day, to their surprise, Nori was the one who boastfully collected the winnings.

_"Dwarves and their wagers…!"_ Maori had thought to herself.

Maori soon became fast friends with Kili as she and Fili spent a lot of time with him and Aira. He was becoming quite like a brother to her and she loved that very much. Her friendship with Aira had also been re-kindled and they grew even closer, as well. And her feelings for Fili only grew stronger as the days went by.

Though she could never find the right words to tell him, Maori knew that she loved him. While she knew that he cared for her, she suspected that his feelings weren't that strong yet. Unbeknownst to her was the fact that Fili's feelings _were _that strong. He truly did love her in return, but neither of them could find a way to tell each other.

Maori had never expected to find love when she had come back to Rivendell a few days ago. She hadn't expected any of the things that had happened, such as seeing Aira and Gandalf again and meeting such a wonderful group of Dwarves and a Hobbit. And it pained her to know that they would be leaving the next day. She didn't want to see Aira go again, she didn't want to say good-bye to her new friends and, most of all, she didn't want to say good-bye to Fili.

Maori kept getting a feeling that Fili was going to ask his uncle about letting her join them on the quest so they wouldn't have to say good-bye. She had approached him one day and asked if he was going to, to which he replied that he was.

The two of them talked it over and came to the mutual conclusion that Maori joining them on the quest would not be a good idea.

For one, it would be for selfish reasons on both their parts, just because they didn't want to leave each other and it wouldn't be fair to the others who had to say good-bye to friends and family that _they_ loved and had to leave behind.

It also wouldn't be fair because Maori's reasons for going on the quest would not be the same as everyone else's. She never lived in Erebor nor had any ties to it, whereas the rest of the company did, hence why they were venturing on the journey in the first place. Maori would only be there for Fili—and Aira, as well—and they knew that would just be unreasonable. Despite how hard it was to admit, both Fili and Maori knew it was the right thing to do. They would just have to make the best of their remaining time together.

* * *

_"Airaním…."_

Aira, who had gone back to her room after dinner for a brief rest, suddenly was awakened by the sound of a soft, feminine voice calling her name. She sat up and looked around for the source of the voice, but there was no one to be found.

_"Airaním…,"_ it called again. It sounded like a whisper being carried in the air, beckoning her.

Curious as to what was going on, Aira got out of her bed and opened the door to her room. It was late evening and the sun was starting to set on the horizon, illuminating the sky with various pinks, oranges and reds. Aira stepped out of her room and followed the sound of the voice through various corridors until it led her to a gazebo, where she found a tall, feminine figure standing in the middle, who turned to face her as she approached.

The lady was slender, clad in a long white dress that flowed gracefully at her feet. Gleaming waves of golden hair fell well below her shoulders and her head was adorned with a very intricate headdress. The pointed tips of her ears were shown when the light evening breeze blew back a lock her hair, revealing that she was an Elf. The brightness of the sunset only added to her radiant countenance. She was strikingly beautiful; perhaps the most beautiful woman Aira had ever beheld.

"Airaním Goldenheart," the Elf lady simply said as her eyes found the Dwarf girl.

Aira let out a light snicker. "Do all Elves know everything?" she asked.

The Elf smiled, amused. "I am Lady Galadriel of Lorien," she informed her. "It was I who called for you."

"How may I help you, Lady Galadriel?"

"No, my child. I require nothing from you, but rather, _I _can help _you_. I called you here to me because there are things in your future I have seen that I must speak to you about."

Aira stiffened, unsure if that was a good thing or bad. "What have you seen?"

Galadriel's eyes closed and she began to speak, almost prophetically, "There is much ahead of you on your path, young one; many dangers you have yet to face and triumphs that have not yet come to pass. Do not fear the events of your past for they shall only blind you from the present and from seeing what is to come. Your part in the tale of this quest has only just begun. You have a great destiny before you that will be fulfilled in time. Your bond with the line of Durin shall be tested and the love between you and the youngest Prince will be tried…."

Her voice trailed off and she opened her eyes, sensing that Aira's mind was troubled. She found the young Dwarf woman staring up at her, a look of sudden fright in her eyes. Galadriel knew that she was troubled by the last sentence she had spoken.

"Be not afraid," she said calmly.

"But I _am_ afraid!" Aira gasped. The last thing Galadriel had said had really struck something inside her just imagining anything happening with her and the line of Durin. She looked back up at the Elf Lady and said in a shaken voice, "Kili, Fili and Thorin are all that I have. They are my family; my world! If I lose them, I lose everything!" She felt tears spring into her eyes. "You tell me that my bond with them and my love for them will be tested and tried…my Lady, how can I _not_ be afraid?"

Galadriel bent over, gave Aira a smile of reassurance and gently brushed away a single tear that had fallen from her cheek. "Do not fear, dear Airaním," she told her softly. "All will be well, for nothing is set in stone." She leaned down a little further and whispered, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

As Aira's head lowered, Galadriel placed a soft, calming kiss upon her brow. However, when Aira looked back up to thank her and ask her more questions, she had disappeared.

Her head started to ache as a million thoughts flew around in her mind from everything the Elf Lady had told her. There dangers and triumphs ahead…her past would only blind her from the present and the future…she had a great destiny to fulfill…her ties with the line of Durin as well as the love between her and Kili would be tested…in regards to all these things, there was only one question that Aira repeatedly kept asking herself:

_"What does all of this mean?"_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the voice of Thorin calling behind her. Bringing herself back to reality, Aira spun around to face him.

"Gandalf has asked for us," Thorin told her. "He says it's time to read the map."

Aira gave an understanding nod and joined him at his side as the two of them walked away from the gazebo with Galadriel's prophecy still echoing in Aira's mind.

.

**I do hope everything in this chapter isn't too much to process :P haha!**

**All I can say about the next chapter is that it's going to be pretty special :) So there's something to look forward to!**

**Also, I have an idea for a Thorin/OC story that's been on my mind for a while now! I haven't started it yet, but it ****_will_**** happen eventually, so stay tuned for that sometime in the future! :)**

**Leave me a review or PM me with any thoughts you had, I'd really appreciate it! :) **


	26. We Will Go Home

**The last chapter in Rivendell!**

**This chapter has just about everything: happiness, sadness, a bit of mystery, lightheartedness, etc. So be ready for an emotional rollercoaster! There's also another flashback, since I know a lot of you like it when I include flashbacks! :D**

**Also, there is a song used in the last part, and the title of it is also the name of the chapter: "We Will Go Home" from the movie "King Arthur". (A HUGE thank-you to ZabuzasGirl who showed me the song!) here's the link to it so you can listen as you read along ( watch?v=xI24B01h-9o) It's pretty powerful!**

**Enjoy! :)**

**.**

Once Aira and Thorin found Gandalf, Bilbo and Elrond, the Elf Lord began to lead them down into the underground catacombs beneath Rivendell. He explained that there was a cave deeper in the mountain where they could get the best light from the moon to read the map.

Aira stayed by Thorin's side the whole way. After what Galadriel had told her, she continued to have feelings of worry.

_"Your bond with the line of Durin shall be tested"_.

What could possibly happen that would test her bond with them? They were all so close and their bond was strong. Thorin, Fili and Kili loved Aira and she loved them just as much, if not more; nothing could ever come between them. Was something meant to happen to one of them? Or to her? Oh, gods, she couldn't bear the thought! It was too much to even begin to imagine. Just as she had told Galadriel, they were her world and if she lost even one of them, her entire world would fall apart. If she lost them, she would lose everything. Now she was only becoming more apprehensive about her future and the future of her family.

She looked to Thorin walking beside her, tall, head held high and proud, as always. Just thinking of anything happening to him; of losing the Dwarf who raised her like his own pained her heart. Instinctively, Aira moved right up next to him and hugged his arm tightly, resting her head on his shoulder just so she could feel him near her and know he was there.

A bit startled by this sudden gesture, Thorin asked, "Aira, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she responded. When she caught him giving her a look that showed he didn't believe her, she quickly thought of a reason to give him. "It's just…I'm so proud of you for putting aside your resentment of Elves and letting Elrond help us." That sounded good enough.

Luckily, Thorin bought that. He gave a nod and replied, "You were the one that convinced me. I'm only doing this for you."

"And for your company," Aira added. "Don't make this just about me."

He nodded to that, as well.

As they continued to walk, the voice of Galadriel came to Aira's mind again, startling her for a moment. When she heard the Elf Lady's voice again, Aira stopped, told Thorin to go on ahead and she would only be a moment. The excuse she gave him was that she wanted to look at something back in a part of a tunnel. Thorin wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just let it be and left her alone.

She went back around the corner and then stopped. Then she replied to Galadriel with her mind, _"Lady Galadriel, I am here."_

_"Airaním, do not let your heart be troubled by my words from before,"_ she said. _"There are more good things in your future than bad. The trials you will face, you __will__ overcome."_

There was a brief pause and, just when Aira thought she was finished speaking with her, Galadriel spoke again in her head, _"You, my dear, are a special child in the eyes of Aule. Or Mahal, as he is known by the Dwarves. He has blessed you with a great purpose."_

_"What is my purpose?"_ Aira asked her. _"How could I possibly be so important to Mahal?"_

_"Your purpose is in regards to the heirs of Durin. Your destiny is entwined and joined with theirs. Only __you__ can ensure that Thorin Oakenshield repossesses the throne of Erebor and takes his rightful place as King Under the Mountain."_

_"But how? I do not understand…."_

_"I have seen a possible future where his cousin, Dain Ironfoot of the Iron Hills, takes the throne after Erebor is reclaimed."_

_"That's not possible. That would mean that—"_ Aira stopped, realizing what would have to happen in order for Dain to become King. Thorin would have to relinquish his and his heirs' right to the throne, which she knew he would never do—especially to the likes of Dain—so that left only one other option: somehow, Thorin, Fili and Kili would all have to die.

_"No!"_ she exclaimed, suddenly feeling frightened again. Her hand shot up to her neck and clutched her Durin emblems necklace. _"That cannot happen!"_

_"Do you remember what I told you last before I left you?"_

Aira thought back to her last encounter with the Elf Lady and then a small wave of comfort overcame her as she responded, _"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."_

_"That is your purpose, Airaním. You, my dear, are much more than you believe yourself to be. Your heart has been and will be your greatest ally. You must ensure that the future I have seen does not come to pass; you must make certain that, by this journey's end, Thorin, son of Thrain, will formally become King."_

_"What must I do, my Lady?"_

There was no answer.

_"What must I do?"_ Aira asked again.

Still silence. Galadriel's presence was gone.

Aira sighed. None of what Galadriel said made sense to her. What could _she_ possibly do to ensure that Thorin stays King Under the Mountain instead of Dain? She was just one Dwarf-woman! How could she make that happen alone?

"I speak with Galadriel…and then I seem to be left with _more_ questions afterwards than I originally had," Aira said to herself out loud.

Deciding she would think about it all later, she pushed all her thoughts and questions out of her mind and went back down the tunnel to catch up Thorin and the others.

* * *

"Aira, you're just in time! The moon is about to appear," Gandalf cried out as Aira came out of the tunnel.

She came out onto a large stone ledge inside a huge, open cave and the others were standing around a slab in the center that was made of crystal. There were waterfalls cascading over the edges on the outside of the cave. As Aira looked up, she could see that a cloud was blocking her view of the moon, but it was almost out of the way.

Anxious, she moved over by Thorin on his right side. Elrond stood to his left, holding Thorin's map down on the table, while Gandalf, Bilbo and Balin all stood together on the opposite side.

Within minutes, the clouds parted and the moon was in view. Its lunar rays suddenly fell upon them in the cave and the crystal raise was illuminated with bright light.

Suddenly, as Aira looked down, she could see markings bursting out in blue light on the bottom portion of the map and she gasped, amazed. It was beautiful.

She felt Thorin's hand close hard around hers. When she looked up, he was still looking down at the map, but there was a look of amazement and apprehension all at once in his eyes. She could see he was nervous about what they would find. Hoping to calm his nerves, Aira squeezed his hand back as she glanced back down at the map.

The markings were ancient Dwarven runes, from what she could see. She followed along as Elrond read the inscription out loud, "Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole."

"Durin's Day…!" Aira gasped in a whisper, astonished, as Thorin started to walk away and pace, deep in thought. They had it; they had their way into the mountain!

"Durin's Day?" Bilbo asked.

Gandalf then told him, in answer to his question, "It is the start of the Dwarves' new year when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together."

"This is ill news," said Thorin. He glanced over at Aira, his face etched with concern, before looking across the room to Balin. "Summer is passing. Durin's Day will soon be upon us," he said to him, his voice sounding more and more worried.

"We still have time," Balin replied reassuringly.

"Time for what?" Bilbo questioned.

"To find the entrance."

Aira tensed up. The time for secrecy concerning their quest was now over.

Thorin knew that, too. He turned to Aira. "Aira, I think that perhaps you and Master Baggins should leave us."

She bowed her head, understanding why he wanted her to leave. Now that they had practically revealed the purpose of their quest, there would be a lot for him, Balin and Gandalf to discuss with Elrond. She looked over to Bilbo and he gestured to the entrance to the tunnel with his head. Fortunately, he understood just as well as she did.

As the two of them made their way to the entrance, Aira heard Elrond ask behind her, "So this is your purpose: to enter the mountain?"

Thorin's low voice said back, "What of it?"

_"Please be rational, Thorin,"_ Aira wished in her head before going into the tunnel with Bilbo.

* * *

"Very interesting, what Gandalf said about Durin's Day," said Bilbo.

"Indeed," Aira replied. "It certainly is quite the occasion. Although, there is one other thing that he forgot to mention, even though it's not as important."

"What's that?"

"Durin's Day is also the day I was born."

Bilbo's face lit up. "Really? Oh, my goodness, that's wonderful!"

Aira couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "I thought you'd like to know that since you were the only one in the room who didn't know," she said.

The Hobbit's eyes widened even more as he turned and cried out, "You will have the most perfect gift for your birthday! Durin's Day is when the door to the mountain will be revealed…Aira, you will finally get to see the inside of the Lonely Mountain!"

Aira stopped and felt her grin spread even farther along her face. "By the gods, you're right!" she exclaimed. "I had never even thought of that." The thought of being able to finally be inside the Lonely Mountain on the day of her birth brought such a pleasant feeling and she felt excited.

But then, just thinking about thinking about the day of her birth, her face and her eyes began to drop in sadness.

Bilbo saw this sudden change and was worried if perhaps he had said or done something wrong. "What's the matter?" he timidly asked.

Aira let out a breath and answered, "While Durin's Day is my birthday…it was also the day my mother died…giving birth to me."

"Oh, no! Aira, I'm so sorry," Bilbo apologized as he laid a hand up on her shoulder.

She nodded her head. "It's a very bittersweet day for me. It was the day I was born and also the day I lost the woman who brought me into this world and would never know. But I still had my father…for a few years, anyway."

"Tell me about your father," Bilbo suggested as they started walking again.

Aira paused for a moment to think of what to tell Bilbo. Then she told him, "Well, Rimedur, my father, was a part of the Royal Guard for King Thror and, after Smaug came, he still remained a faithful servant to him. Through his time in the King's service, he became close friends with Thorin. They were not as close as Thorin and Dwalin are, but, of all my father's friends, Thorin was the one he was closest to.

"After I was born and my mother passed away from childbirth, Father asked Thror to be relieved of his position so he could stay at home and take care of me. While he did that, Thorin and his sister, Dis, would visit often. They helped provide for us and take care of me, at least while I was an infant. I definitely grew to know Thorin well before I went to live with him."

"How did you end up in Thorin's care? What happened to your father?"

Aira looked to the floor and began to slow her pace down. The day her father had died had been a horrible day for her and one she didn't always like to remember. Finally she stopped, walked over to the wall and sat down on the floor against it. "Perhaps we should sit down for this," she said, patting the area next to her, signaling Bilbo to sit down, as well. "While it is a memory I don't like to talk about often," she said to Bilbo as he sat himself down, "I suppose you should know."

* * *

_Seventy years past_

_There was some trouble going on the mines of the Blue Mountains. The Dwarves were having a difficult time breaking through a barrier of one of the tunnels and they began asking for extra hands to come help. Rimedur had been one of the ones requested for assistance and he willingly said he would help. _

_Before he left for the mines, he went to Thorin and asked if the King could stay with Aira, who was now six years old, while he was away. Thorin gladly obliged for he enjoyed the time he spent with Rimedur's little girl._

_A few hours had passed after Rimedur had left for the mines. Aira and Thorin were now playing hide-and-seek and it was Thorin's turn to find Aira._

_It wasn't that hard to find her. He could see her feet sticking out from underneath the drapes in front of the windows, but, as always, he would have a little fun with it._

_"Oh, dear, where are you, Aira?" he said in a playfully loud voice as he carefully scanned the rom. "I can't find you. Have you suddenly turned invisible?"_

_He heard her squeaky giggle from behind the curtains. _

_He then quietly began to creep towards them. "I don't know where you could be, little one," he said with a singsong tone to his voice. Thorin slowly reached forward, grabbed the drapes and threw them open to reveal young Aira behind them. "There you are!"_

_She let out a surprised squeal and she started to run away, ducking underneath his arm and giggling with her auburn hair flying behind her._

_"Oh, no, you don't!" Thorin stated playfully as he whipped around and grabbed the little Dwarf girl in his strong arms before she could get away._

_Aira let out a half-scream before it was engulfed in a fit of laughter as Thorin began to spin her around in circles, chuckling in her ear. They went around and around until Thorin began to feel dizzy and collapsed onto a sofa, still clutching Aira to his chest, and they both just laughed until they were out of breath._

_"That was fun!" Aira cried out._

_"You make me spend all my energy just as much as my nephews do," Thorin replied, still trying to catch his breath._

_Aira flipped onto her stomach, put her chin in her hands as she looked at him and asked, "Will I ever get to meet your nephews, Thorin?"_

_He replied, "Someday, you will. Perhaps someday soon. Both Dis and I have just been too busy to bring them by to visit you."_

_She shrugged and started playing with the braid by his left ear. "That's all right," she simply said. Then, all of a sudden, she gasped and her eyes got wide. "Oh! I haven't shown you what Papa gave me for my birthday last month!"_

_Aira slid right off Thorin's chest onto the floor and scurried off behind the sofa to her bedroom just around the corner. Thorin sat upright just as she came running back holding something silver in her hands. She went up to him and held it up for him to see. It was a small silver handheld mirror._

_"Papa said this was Mama's mirror. He thought I should have it," Aira explained to Thorin._

_"He was right, you should. I think your mother would've wanted you to have it" said Thorin as he ran the tips of his fingers lightly along the side of the mirror._

_"I use it every morning when I wake up," said Aira. "My hair is always a mess, so I look in the mirror to fix it."_

_Thorin chuckled. "Well, you do have such lovely hair," he said, reaching out and giving a gentle tug on one of her auburn curls, "so that's good you always want to keep it nice and neat."_

_She grinned brightly._

_Just then, someone started banging and pounding on the front door, startling both Thorin and Aira. "Thorin, it's me! Open up, quick!" shouted a familiar, slightly higher-pitched voice._

_"That sounds like Balin," Thorin said out loud. He stood up from the sofa and moved as fast as he could over to the front door. Sure enough, when he opened it, there stood Balin, panting and looking very scared. "Balin, what's wrong? What's happened?" Thorin asked, now feeling uneasy himself._

_"There's been an accident in the mines!" Balin exclaimed in a panic. "No one knows what happened, but one of the tunnels just collapsed. There were many Dwarves still inside; most have been killed or injured. Rimedur was one of them."_

_They both heard Aira gasp._

_Balin went on, "Some of the other miners were able to pull him out, along with a few others. He's still alive, but just barely. I don't think he has much time left. Thorin, you and Aira need to get down there right away."_

_Quickly, Thorin retrieved his cloak along with Aira's, helped her put it on and ushered her out the door. Once they were mounted on Thorin's pony, he gave a hard kick into the pony's sides and they rode off just behind Balin, the King and the young girl both worried to death and hoping they would be able to make it in time._

* * *

_There were a great number of Dwarves gathered and scattered outside the mines. Medical tents had been set up where all of the injured miners were being treated by physicians and apothecaries. _

_As Thorin made his way through the medical encampment with Aira and Balin, a cold hand of sorrow and fright grasped his heart. Everything that he saw before him was such a sad sight: Dwarves lying dead or dying on the cots, their wives, children, brothers and sisters gathered around them as their heart-wrenching wails and sobs for their lost fathers and brothers echoed hauntingly in the wind. Others who were injured were calling and crying out in pain from their wounds and injuries, some more fatal than others. Thorin could feel his eyes watering up as his people saw him coming and he offered his condolences to those he passed by._

_Aira felt sad and perhaps a bit frightened to see all this suffering around her, but she was more focused on finding her father. Even though she was young, she understood well enough what was going on and what could possibly happen to her father because of this accident. She was scared and just wanted to find him._

_Soon enough, Balin finally led them to the tent where Rimedur was being treated. He was lying down on a cot, his body stiff and unmoving. However, his head rigidly turned to them as they came in. His body and beard were entirely covered in dust, dirt, rubble and blood. There were long dark gashes across his cheek and forehead and there were multiple red stains in his clothes on his arms, torso and legs._

_The gray-haired Dwarf apothecary who was treating him met Thorin and Aira outside of the tent before letting them inside._

_"How is he, Oin?" Thorin asked immediately._

_Oin sighed sadly and shook his head; a reaction that Thorin didn't want to see. "There are many broken bones in his body and he's lost a lot of blood. From the way he's breathing, I can also tell one of his lungs burst. I do not believe he's going to live much longer. He's barely clinging on to life as it is. He has been asking for you and his daughter." Oin motioned to the tent opening, allowing them inside and both Thorin and Aira practically jumped through into the tent._

_"Papa!" Aira cried out as she ran to her father's bedside. Now that she was next to him, she couldn't control herself anymore and her scared tears began to fall fast from her eyes. "You're going to be all right, Papa. Everything's going to be fine," she said, trying to reassure him as well as herself, her voice choking up as she continued to cry._

_Rimedur slowly lifted his hand out of hers and up to her cheek where he lightly traced his fingertips along her skin. "Oh, Aira…," he said, wincing a bit as it hurt to even speak, "everything __will__ be all right, darling. But, unfortunately, it will not be in the way you think." His breathing grew labored and short as he then said to his daughter, "I am dying, Airaním; soon, I must depart this life and I will go be with your mother. You must accept that."_

_"No…!" Aira moaned, her feelings of dismay and fear rising at his words. "No, Papa, please don't die! You can't! I've already lost Mama; I can't lose you, too!"_

_Rimedur remained silent and simply stroked her cheek again. Then he lifted a shaky finger and pointed to Thorin standing off to the side, painfully groaning his name. _

_Aira and Thorin switched places as the King stepped over and stood by the side of his dying friend and grasped his hand firmly._

_After taking a couple short breaths, Rimedur spoke in a raspy tone, "I want you to take care of Aira after I am gone."_

_Thorin froze. While part of him figured he should've seen that coming, it still startled him and he was unsure of what to say or how to react. Such a request was much to ask, especially of someone who didn't know very much about raising and taking care of children._

_"Are there no others of your kin who could take care of her?" he asked._

_The dying Dwarf barely shook his head. "I have no other family," he responded weakly, "and Telyna's family has long since left this place. You and Dis are the only ones left for my daughter."_

_Thorin's gaze shifted down to his boots. Of course he wanted to accept, but inside he was afraid that he would not be able to fully do what Rimedur was asking of him. He didn't want his friend to die, even though he knew it was inevitable._

_Rimedur's grip on his hand tightened. "Please, Thorin…," he begged, straining his voice, "you must do this. I do not want Aira to end up living alone or with strangers. She knows you and I'm certain she will happy in your care. Please, my friend…"_

_Looking down at his bruised and bloodied face, Thorin could see through his tears the pain and desperate longing in Rimedur's eyes. His gaze was pleading madly with him to accept his only dying wish. Thorin knew he had to. He cared a great deal for young Aira; he couldn't just leave her alone. And he owed that much to Rimedur._

_He took a sharp intake of breath to calm himself down and cease his tears. He looked firmly and intently into his dying friend's face and stated in as strong a voice as he could muster, "You are a great man, Rimedur. You served the house of Thror loyally for many years…and you are my good friend. You have been so for a long time and I am forever indebted to you. In return for all you have done for me and my family, I swear I will do everything in my power to take care of yours. I __will__ look after Aira. I will protect her and raise her like my own kin. I give you my word."_

_Rimedur said nothing, but instead gave his King a weak yet grateful smile before asking for Aira again. Thorin took a step back to let Aira stand by her father._

_"You will be living with Thorin now," he told her gently. "He will take good care of you." Rimedur then started coughing horribly, wheezing and gasping in agony as his breathing grew strenuous._

_Aira took her father's hand. She knew what was happening and she hated seeing her father in pain. He was slipping away, she would lose him soon and that scared her._

_ Rimedur's coughing stopped and his breathing began to slow down. It was clear he had only seconds, possibly minutes, left. He turned to look at his little girl, ignoring the pain that shot through his body. "I will give your love to your mother, child, for I am going to join her in the Halls of Mandos," Rimedur told Aira to help reassure her that he was going to be all right. _

_He reached up and laid a hand on her cheek again. A single tear slid down his face from the corner of his eye. His voice cracked a little as he said softly, "I love you so much, my little Airaním."_

_She let out a whimper, leaned over him, placed a loving kiss on his forehead and replied, trying to sound brave for her father, "I love you, too, Papa."_

_Rimedur's lips curled up into a dear smile and, within seconds, he took his last breath and gave up the ghost._

_Poor little Aira was overcome with sorrow and dread as she realized he was no longer breathing. Her father was gone._

_She felt Thorin's hand rest on her shoulder as he knelt down beside her. Right away, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. He held her close to his chest and rocked her back and forth as his own sorrow took over. Although, he refused to let himself cry in front of her or be heard crying. He had to be strong for the young and now orphaned girl. Thorin stole one last look at his friend's lifeless form, thinking about the promise he had made him, as Oin stepped in from the outside and covered the departed Dwarf with a sheet._

_"I will do as your father said, dear one. I will take care of you," he said as strongly as he could to the crying child in his arms. "I will look after you always, Airaním…I promise."_

* * *

"And, ever since then, Thorin has kept his promise. I know my father would be proud of him."

Bilbo had felt so sorry for Aira after hearing her speak of her father's death. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for her to actually watch him die. It pleased him, though, that Thorin, at least, had kept his word to both her and her father. He placed a gentle hand over hers and said, "He would be proud of you, too, you know."

"Thank you," Aira replied. She let out a small laugh. "It's strange," she said. "For the first time, I was able to re-tell that story without getting emotional. But I've learned that it's unwise to carry the weight of the dead when you already have enough burdens to bear."

The Hobbit nodded in agreement. Then he stood up and offered a hand to her. "Come on, we should go find the others," he said.

She agreed and, after he helped her back up to her feet, the two friends raced each other out of the tunnel.

* * *

It didn't take them very long to find the rest of the company. They were all gathered around a campfire in the same veranda they had spent their first night in, just chatting and laughing away like normal. Ori was the first to spot them and he excitedly called them over. The others turned their heads in their direction and greeted them with gladness. Bilbo and Aira happily joined them. Bilbo went and sat down between Bofur and Dwalin while Aira took a place between Fili and Kili. She was also happy to see that Maori had joined them, too, sitting on Fili's other side.

"Hello, Princess," the brothers said simultaneously as they both leaned in and kissed her cheeks, making her blush and jump with a small giggle.

_"Surely, they planned that!"_ she thought to herself, but she wasn't going to question it. She found their greeting cute and charming.

"Where have you and Bilbo been?" asked Kili as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"We went with Thorin, Balin, Gandalf and Elrond to read the map. There were moon runes and Elrond was able to read it," she answered. Then she faced the rest of the group. "We have our way into the mountain!" she exclaimed.

They all raised their pipes and their fists and cheered merrily.

"That is joyous news, indeed!" cried Bofur.

"There is hope, yet, for this quest," added Gloin.

"The dragon, Smaug, won't know we're coming!" Ori stated boldly, earning a hearty pat on the back from Nori.

"We'll take back the kingdom and show that beast to _never_ mess with Dwarves again!" Fili added with much vigor, shaking his fist in the air.

Maori placed an eager kiss on his cheek and everyone cheered once again now that their spirits were soaring high.

"We will go home."

All heads turned to see Thorin leaning against a pillar with his arms folded across his chest, grinning gladly at his comrades. No one had seen nor heard him approach, but they were glad to see him nonetheless. Balin stood close behind him, watching them all carefully. Gandalf and Elrond could barely be seen standing a few feet behind them in the shadows.

No one said anything for a little while. They were all deep in thought after what Thorin had said.

_"We will go home."_

Aira, who was resting her head on Kili's shoulder, let Thorin's words sink in. She had always said that she was home as long as she was with him, Fili and Kili, but, the more she thought about it, she realized that it was nice to actually have a physical home to look forward to; a home where she and her family truly belonged. Now that they knew how to find the secret door into the mountain, they were one step closer to getting that home back.

Just then, Dori broke the silence and interrupted her thoughts as well as the others' by kindly asking, "Aira, will you sing for us? It's been a while since we've heard your lovely voice."

Everyone started to cry out in accord with Dori.

"Oh, come now, lads, I think Aira might be getting a little weary of singing for us all the time," said Oin.

Aira shook her head and smiled. "Oh no, Oin," she said to him, "I never grow weary of singing, especially for all of you! I enjoy it when you ask me to." She remembered back to the first time they had asked her to sing on the journey and how nervous she had been, having not sung for anyone in a long time. It amazed her just how much she changed since then.

She looked to Dori. "In answer to your question, Dori: yes, I would love to sing for you all."

That caused him and the rest of the company to beam with gladness.

"Sing something about home," suggested Kili.

"Yes, let us hear a musical masterpiece of home from Aira Goldenheart!" Maori cried out.

Aira happily obliged. One of the things she loved about being a Dwarf was the uncanny ability to come up with a song right on the spot, no matter what the situation. Thorin's words still echoed in her head and she knew just what to say.

She turned and looked at Thorin briefly, his blue eyes glowing vibrantly in the firelight as they glanced back at her. She smiled brightly at him before turning back to the others, opening her mouth and letting flow a simple yet beautiful melody,

_Land of bear and land of eagle,  
Land that gave us birth and blessing,  
Land that called us ever homewards,  
We will go home across the mountains._

_We will go home, we will go home,  
We will go home across the mountains.  
We will go home singing our song…_

The sound of her voice began to fade as the company was suddenly lost in their deep thoughts from listening to Aira's song; her song of home. Thoughts and recollections of their homes came to their minds: Erebor, the Blue Mountains, Rivendell, the Shire, the Iron Hills.

Fili and Kili had closed their eyes, listening carefully to their dearest friend's lovely voice. They never tired of hearing it. It was times like this when they were once again reminded of how much they both really loved her, as a sister and as a significant other. Listening to her sing of home brought back so many good, happy memories of their childhood again.

Maori thought back to her home in Rohan briefly before she thought of the home she had made there in Rivendell. She would be forever grateful to Lord Elrond for letting her live there. But then she began to think of the home she had found with Fili along with Kili and Aira since they arrived. In her heart, she realized that she would always have a home with them and hoped that that would be true someday once they returned to the Lonely Mountain.

The green hills and fields of Hobbiton and the Shire filled Bilbo's mind. Even though he was glad to be out on an adventure, he never stopped missing his home and his dear Hobbit hole. He often wondered if he would ever see the Shire again, but listening to Aira brought a strange burning in his chest that somehow comforted him and told him that he would.

A majority of the Dwarves thought back to the Lonely Mountain. A lot of them had lived there before the attack of the dragon, hence why they all had answered Thorin's call for warriors to aid him in the quest. The only Dwarves that weren't from there were Bofur and Bombur. They hailed from the north in the Iron Hills. It was their cousin, Bifur, who had recruited them for the journey. However, they were just as familiar with the Lonely Mountain as everyone else, having visited their cousin and friends often. Everyone's thoughts about the lost city were both pleasant and melancholy, remembering the greatness of it and how it had been taken from them by Smaug, the Terrible.

Of everyone in the company, Thorin was the one that was deepest in thought. Memories of Erebor; his beautiful mountain and beloved city filled his mind. All he could think of was how it would be his to rule someday, or so he hoped. The dragon that occupied it now would be destroyed and the kingdom would then belong to him. He would restore the mountain to its former glory and, perhaps, it could be greater than it once was.

He watched Aira carefully as her song went on and he suddenly was overcome with a plethora of feelings and emotions towards her: a sense of pride, admiration, reverence and an overwhelming feeling of love; a feeling that only a father would know and understand.

_"Oh, Durin, will I ever be able to tell her?"_ he wondered.

He remembered his conversation with Balin and Dwalin from a few days previous. He had told them he wanted to tell Aira that he truly loved her as his daughter, but his blasted Dwarven pride and fear of replacing her real father always kept him from doing so. He began to realize that he had been afraid of becoming too attached to her. Having no wife or children of his own, Thorin never knew of that kind of attachment and it had worried him at first. But it was clear to him that it was far too late for that. He had been attached to her since she was a child and nothing was ever going to change that.

Hearing the conviction in Aira's voice as she continued to sing, Thorin felt a familiar surge of guilt inside him and he knew immediately what it meant. He could not leave her behind. No matter how much he wanted to keep her out of harm's way, he knew now he just couldn't do it. She had a place in the quest and with the company; they needed her as much as she needed them. He needed her with them; with _him_.

Aira's song and voice then grew in volume and energy that broke everyone's thoughts:

_Hear our singing, hear our longing,  
We will go home across the mountains._

_We will go home, we will go home,  
We will go home across the mountains.  
We will go home, we will go home,  
We will go home across the mountains._

_We will go home, we will go home…._

Aira's beautiful melody ended. The only sound that was heard breaking the potent silence was the slight crackling of the fire. Everyone there had been struck to the core by Aira's powerfully overwhelming song and their thoughts and memories of home still clung to their minds.

As she finished, Aira realized that tears were forming in her eyes and she quickly brushed them away. Afterwards, she felt Kili's warm lips in her hair and Fili's hand slipping into her own and grasping it tight.

While they continued to sit in silence, Gandalf and Elrond, who had both stood by and listened to everything that had just occurred, began to walk away, but their voices were still heard for a moment.

Gandalf spoke first. "Do you see, Elrond? If that isn't proof enough of how important this quest is to these Dwarves, then I don't know what is."

"Indeed," Elrond replied. "I cannot doubt the evident fervor in that song we just had the privilege of hearing."

"With or without our help, these Dwarves _will_ march on the mountain. They are determined to reclaim their homeland…."

Their voices faded and they disappeared around a corner.

Another moment of deep silence had passed before Dwalin finally spoke up, saying, "Well, lads, I think we should all turn in for the night."

As they all stood up, mumbling in agreement, Thorin added to that, "Get your rest. We will be leaving this place tomorrow before the sun rises. I want all of you ready by then."

His hand shot out and grabbed Aira's wrist as she started to walk past him with Kili. When they both glanced at him with curiosity, Thorin looked at Aira firmly.

"That includes you, Aira. You're coming with us."

.

**In case you're wondering, the last part of the song I just added in so it actually had a finish to it.**

**As promised, the company WILL be getting back on the road next chapter! :)**

**Thank you all so much for your continued support! Hope you enjoyed this and send me a review or a PM with your thoughts! Lots of love to you all :)**


	27. Far Over the Misty Mountains

**So, I'm just going to get this out now:**

**I've just started a new summer work schedule with more hours and I'm also taking a couple online classes to keep on track with my credits...I don't know how time-consuming my classes will be, but I'm starting to think I won't have much time for writing for a little while, so my updates may not happen as often. Luckily it's only until the end of July, so bear with me, my dears!**

**This chapter is the longest one I've written so far! I figured I'd give you all a long one in case my next update doesn't happen for a while. It's also the biggest emotional rollercoaster yet...**

**DISCLAIMER: there are 2 lines used in this chapter that belong strictly to Tolkien. They're from "The Hobbit" book and I loved them so much, I wanted to use them!**

**.**

The skies were still dark outside when Aira was woken up by Kili gently shaking her.

"Aira, wake up," he whispered. "Everyone's getting their things packed up. We'll be leaving as soon as everyone's ready."

She turned over onto her back and looked up at Kili, who was leaning over her giving her his usual charming, boyish smile. "I love it when your face is the first thing I see when I wake," she whispered back as she ran a hand through his hair. Unlike their previous nights in Rivendell, they hadn't spent the night together. Thorin wanted to be sure she got plenty of rest, so she had slept in her own bed, but it made her happy that she was still able to wake up and see Kili before anyone else.

In response to that, Kili smiled even wider, sat down on the bed and leaned down to place a tender, loving kiss on her lips. "It wasn't the same waking up without you next to me," he said softly before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her up close to him, her legs still under the sheets, and returning his passionate lips to hers.

She couldn't help but chuckle against his lips as her hands snaked over his shoulders to the back of his head and buried themselves in his hair. "Miss me, did you?" she asked teasingly between kisses. She could tell in the way he kissed her that clearly, he did.

He pulled away, keeping his lips just an inch away from hers, and answered breathily, "You have no idea!"

"I missed you, too," said Aira. Then she closed the small gap between them and kissed Kili gently. A moment later, they pulled apart and she rested her head against his chest while he cradled her in his arms.

"I'm so happy that Thorin changed his mind about keeping you here," said Kili as he stroked Aira's hair. "I'm glad you're coming with us."

Aira just laughed. "Kili, I thought you knew me better than that!" she replied.

"What do you mean?"

She sat up and looked up at him. "I was going to follow and come with all of you anyway! He may have wanted me to stay for my own good, but there was no way Thorin was going to keep me here. I chose to come on this quest and I'm going to see it through to the end."

Kili grinned and shook his head. "You really are as stubborn as he is," he said with a chuckle.

"So I've noticed," Aira replied.

"But I still love you…," said Kili before stealing a quick kiss, "…just as much as I always have."

Aira nuzzled his nose playfully. "And I love _you_…although I don't think you're stubborn enough for the likes of me."

Kili's eyes narrowed. "Who says?" he inquired, going along with her teasing.

She leaned closer to him and stated, "Me, silly."

He gave her a mock-angry glare and folded his arms. "Well, fine, then! If you don't think I'm stubborn enough, then I don't want to talk to you!" he whined like a little boy. Then he pulled her bed sheets over his head and ducked underneath them, letting out a loud, "Hmph!" as he did so.

Aira giggled at his silliness. She found it quite amusing and remembered how often he would act like this for fun when they were growing up. Despite how old they were, it pleased her to see that he was still not afraid to act a little childish from time to time. Kili's playfulness was one of the things she had always loved most about him.

"Oh, all right!" she exclaimed. "I guess you _are_ stubborn enough for me."

"Good," Kili replied from underneath the blankets.

He moved forward under the sheets and Aira jumped, crying out in surprise as she suddenly felt his warms hands slip underneath her shirt onto the skin of her stomach to tickle her.

"Kili!" she cried as she flinched and slapped his hands away.

He started to laugh at her reaction. Aira threw the sheets off of his head and he was grinning from ear to ear. His laughter increased as she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't do that!" she said through a giggle and she smacked him on the arm, which only made him laugh even harder. Then she lunged towards him, making him fall onto his back and she was now straddling him, pinning his arms up by his head. Now they both were laughing heartily at each other.

Seeing she was now in control, Aira bent her head down and kissed Kili ever so lovingly. Then her lips started to trail along his cheek and jawbone and up to his ear. She heard him gasp at her touch and she chuckled lightly, feeling a bit pleased with his reaction. Slowly, she began placing kisses amorously along his neck down to the exposed part of his chest.

"Oh, Aira, I love you…!" Kili sighed with heavy breath, his heart racing from the feel of her lips setting fire to his skin.

Aira's own heart was racing, as well, as she kissed back up to his lips and captured them sweetly. When she pulled back, she gazed down into his chocolate brown eyes and replied, "I love you, too, Kili."

Kili reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and they gazed at each other just for a short moment.

After the moment passed, Aira moved off of Kili, letting him sit up, and then asked him, "Can you help me with the bandage on my wound? Elrond told me that last night would be the last time I'd have to wear one."

"Yes, of course," Kili replied.

They both stood up and Aira lifted her shirt up a little, showing her bandaged waist. Kili reached behind her, undid the knot in the dressing and began unwinding it. Once he got it all off, they both looked down where the wound was. Fortunately, her wound had healed just as Elrond had said. All that was left was a long white scar that ran up her side.

"Thank heaven for Elvish healing," said Aira.

"Yes, indeed," said Kili.

She started to lower her shirt back down, but his hands grabbed hers and stopped her. To her surprise, he got down on his knees and lightly traced the white line on her skin with his fingertips. Then he craned his neck and placed a gentle, loving kiss on the top end of the scar, then the middle and then the bottom end of it.

"If only I were a wizard," he stated, "then I would use my magic and kiss every one of your scars away."

Aira snickered while she lowered her shirt back down and pulled Kili back up to her level. "That's very sweet of you to say, my love," she told him, "but each scar from the last thirty years up till now has helped make me who I am now, more than you may think. Every scar is a part of me." She placed a hand over her side where her wound was and took Kili's hand in the other. "I got this scar saving your life along with Thorin's. It serves as a reminder; a memory of that and I wouldn't get rid of it for anything."

She leaned forward and gave her Prince a firm kiss. When she pulled back, she snickered. "And it's like I told Gandalf our first day here:" she added, "what good is a brave act if you don't get a decent battle wound out of it?"

Kili smiled and pulled her into his embrace, hugging her tightly while still being gentle with her. "Aira, you truly are the most amazing woman I have ever met!" he said softly in her ear.

Aira buried her face in his neck. She could just feel her heart overflowing with her strong love for Kili and she was nearly in tears.

As she felt this emotion overcome her, Galadriel's warning words came back to her mind:

_"The love between you and the youngest Prince will be tried."_

Aira asked herself the same question that she had wondered regarding the Elf Lady's warning about the line of Durin: what could possibly happen to try her love with Kili? They had always loved each other; what they shared was so strong because of that and could not be so easily severed. They were more than just young lovers; they were the best of friends. What in all of Middle-Earth could break that or make them have doubts about it?

Would someone come between them? Another male or female Dwarf or one of the two of another race?

No, that was impossible! Dwarves only ever loved once and she had no eyes for anyone else but Kili. And she was absolutely certain that he would never have eyes for another woman.

What could the reason be, then?

Wanting to get rid of the inkling of fear that was crawling up inside her, Aira tightened her arms' hold on his neck and told him, "I am so blessed to have you in my life, Kili. You truly are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you so much…I don't know what I'd do without you. You're my best friend and I never want to lose you."

He pressed her body closer to his and stroked her back gratefully. Then he pulled back slightly and touched his forehead to hers. "You will never lose me. That is a promise I intend to keep for the rest of my life."

_"That's exactly what I needed to hear…,"_ Aira thought to herself as Kili lifted his head and dotingly kissed her brow.

After a moment of silence, he asked her, "Do you have all your things packed for our departure?"

She nodded. "I got everything ready last night before I went to sleep. Except for one thing…." Aira turned around and strode over to the bedside table and picked up the silver item that she had lying there.

"Your mother's mirror," Kili pointed out.

Aira nodded again, holding the mirror with both hands. "I told Bilbo about my birth parents last night before we found all of you around the fire. It had been so long since I told anyone about them. I was thinking about them when I came back here last night and I brought out the mirror again. I still remember when my father gave it to me. He told me that I was the mirror image of my mother and that when I see my reflection, I would see her, too."

As she looked down at her reflection in the mirror, she pictured her mother smiling back up at her.

"I have no doubt that both she and your father are very proud of you," Kili told her, placing a hand on her back.

Aira smiled at him. "I think they would've liked you. And Fili, too."

Kili chuckled. Then he gave her a pat on the back and said, "Come on, let's get your things, we'll run back to my room and get mine and go meet up with the others."

Gladly, Aira obliged. She took her mother's mirror and put it back in her pack. Kili took her pack and slung it over his shoulder while she put on her leather coat and grabbed her sword. Once they made sure that they had everything from Aira's room, they returned to Kili's room, gathered his things and then left to find the rest of the company for their departure.

* * *

"So why are we leaving so early?" Kili asked Thorin once he and Aira met up with the company on one of the lower verandas. A few of the others were standing around packing up the rest of their belongings or strapping their weapons to their backs and belts.

"Now that the Elves know of our quest, I fear they will try to stop us," Thorin answered. "Gandalf is buying us time to leave the city."

Aira tapped his shoulder and asked, "Thorin, may I speak with you?"

He gave her a nod and they moved off closer to a wall away from the others.

"A few days ago, you told me you needed me to get through this alive and you wanted me to stay here for my own safety…," said Aira, "…what changed your mind?"

Thorin closed his eyes and bobbed his head. He had expected Aira to ask that question. "I had thought about it and when I listened to you singing last night…I knew I just couldn't do it," he replied. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her right in the eye. "You belong with us on this quest. You have as much right to it as the rest of us. I know I said before I didn't want to continue putting you in harm's way, but I realize now that I just don't have it in me to leave you behind. But I will still do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Aira quickly hugged him as she said back to him, "You always do. Thank you."

Thorin then said to her boldly, "There's no knowing what a Dwarf will dare and do for revenge or the recovery of his own."

Aira nodded. "Indeed, you are right."

She started to walk away when she heard him say behind her, "Also, I know you were going to follow us anyway." When she quickly flipped back around, he smirked at her and added, "I figured I'd spare you the trouble."

Aira smirked at him deviously in return. "I was wondering if you would catch on," she said. "Kili never did."

"Well, Kili hasn't known you as long as I have," Thorin responded, taking a couple steps toward her. "I knew you were up to something when you were so quick to agree with me about staying here."

"Yet it sounds like you weren't going to try and stop me if I did…."

"I suppose we'll never know now, will we?" With that, his sly grin returned and he gave her a wink as he walked away towards Dwalin and Balin.

Aira just shook her head at him. Sometimes it amazed her just how well he knew her. Although she figured it shouldn't surprise her, considering how long he had known her.

They really _were_ very much alike, she and Thorin.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement that caught her attention. Aira turned her head and saw Fili approaching his brother. Seeing him now finally joining them, she had hoped that he had just come from seeing Maori.

She moved over behind Kili. "Did you say farewell to Maori?" she asked Fili.

He timidly shook and lowered his head. "She was still asleep. I left her a letter in her room," he replied, a bit hesitant.

Aira gaped at him, dumbfounded.

"I thought it would be easier for both of us so we wouldn't have to go through the pain of saying goodbye face to face."

Aira suddenly punched him hard in the arm, startling him and he cried out loudly. "Fili, you foolish idiot!" she hissed. "A letter, really?! Why in Mahal's name would you do that? Maori is a wonderful woman and the best thing that has ever happened to you! You love her; she deserves _so_ much more than that from you!"

Fili glanced at his brother, wide-eyed, and Kili gave him a look that said, _"She's right."_ He agreed with what Aira was saying, so there was no need for him to say anything else.

"You don't know when you'll see her next," Aira continued, a little calmer now. "She needs to see you and get to say goodbye to you in person. I know _you _need that, too."

"But I don't know how I'll be able to do it," Fili admitted. "It's hard enough to just think of leaving her. I'm scared to tell her goodbye."

Kili grasped Fili's shoulder. "We will go with you, then. Come on, brother. Let's all go back and see Maori before we leave."

Aira called back to Thorin, informing him that they were going to see Maori. He understood and told them to go on, but to be quick about it.

With his permission, the three young Dwarves quickly made their way back to Maori's room and they got there just in time. As they rounded the corner to the hall where her room was, she came bursting through door, pulling a shawl over her shoulders when she caught sight of them.

"I just woke up and found a letter from Fili on my table," she explained. "I had hoped I wasn't too late."

Aira shook her head. "We made sure with Thorin that we would all get a chance to say goodbye to you…_properly_," she said to Maori, emphasizing the last word and giving Fili a hard look that he just ignored. She ran forward and embraced her friend tightly. "Oh, my dear friend, it was wonderful to see you again!"

"You, as well, my dear!" Then Maori added when they pulled apart, "You watch out for these lads, now! Keep them out of trouble."

Aira smiled. "Of course, I will."

She backed away and Kili stepped forward, grinning, and took the half-Dwarf woman's hand. "Maori, it was an honor to meet you," he said to her kindly. "You are a remarkable woman and I'm proud to call you my friend."

Maori blushed slightly. "And I'm happy to call you my friend, as well, Kili." Then the two of them proceeded to hug each other.

"Maybe someday I'll be able to call you 'sister'…," Kili whispered in her ear. He heard her giggle softly at what he was inferring and took it as a good sign.

"Maybe someday…," she whispered back as she stepped back, smiling at him before he turned away.

She turned and met Fili's soft yet nervous gaze. The two of them just stared at each other, knowing that this was the moment they both had been dreading.

Aira and Kili exchanged a glance and agreed, without saying a word, that they should go. "We will leave you two be," Aira said as they started to walk away. She got no response, but they were certain Fili and Maori had heard her.

However, both Kili and Aira stopped once they were around the corner and backed themselves up against the wall. They had left the other two alone but still wanted to listen in to what was happening.

Fili slowly approached Maori, never breaking their gaze, and took her hands in his. His sapphire eyes looked right into her soul with such great affection, yet they were not without fear; fear of leaving her behind for who knows how long. Her light amber eyes bore a similar expression, showing him that she felt the same.

After a minute, Fili looked down to their hands entwined together. "When we first came to Rivendell," he began, "I never thought it would be so hard for me to leave. I remember looking at the city from the outside and thinking that, despite it being an Elvish realm, it was a beautiful place."

He lifted his head back up and gave Maori the most endearing look. "I never imagined that, once I was _inside_ the city, I would find something even more beautiful."

Tenderly, he raised a hand to her cheek. "I'm so sorry I tried to leave you without saying goodbye and leaving a letter for you. It's just I've been so scared about this moment for the last few days…."

"So have I," said Maori, reaching up and lightly touching one of his lip-braids. "We both knew it would come."

Unable to find the right words to say, Fili simply wrapped his arms around Maori as she placed her hands on his shoulders, leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, both of them closing their eyes, breathing silently and taking in their last moment together. For the two of them, this was one of the hardest things they ever had to endure. They didn't want this moment to end, but they knew there was no choice.

"Good luck, Fili," Maori said softly to break the silence. "Please be careful." She paused for a second before saying in an almost desperate-sounding tone, "You have to come back."

"I intend to," Fili replied. "I will come back."

They stayed silent for another short minute before Fili stepped back and gave her one last meaningful glance before turning and walking away, not wanting to make things even harder for the both of them.

Maori could feel her heart beating painfully inside her breast. There he was, her Dwarf Prince, walking away and leaving her for however long, she knew not. She could feel her tears filling up her eyes. Within seconds, she realized that there was one last thing she needed to tell him and he needed to know; one last thing she didn't want to go unsaid.

"I love you, Fili!"

Around the corner, both Kili and Aira, who were still listening, both pumped their fists in the air and silently cheered, "Yes!" Finally, the moment they had been waiting for had happened.

Fili stopped dead in his tracks and his mouth curved up into the biggest and happiest smile he had ever had in his life. He had been just about ready to stop and say those exact words to Maori first, but she had beaten him to it. No words in Middle-Earth could describe the joy he felt swelling up inside him at hearing those three simple words to where he couldn't contain it any longer.

He whipped around and ran back to her so fast, he was almost flying. As he reached her, Fili scooped Maori right up into his arms and ardently captured her lips in the most passionate and loving kiss he had ever given her, lifting her up and spinning her as she joyously returned his kiss with equal passion.

They both had been so apprehensive about saying those three words to the other, fearing it would only make leaving each other harder than it already was. But now that those words had been spoken by one of them, they both began to see that it wasn't as difficult as they believed it to be.

Once he set her back down, the two of them broke apart, panting heavily and trying to catch their breath from the amazing kiss they had just shared.

Fili looked in Maori's eyes, ran a hand gently through her hair and said to her, his voice strong and unwavering, "I love you, too, Maori."

Aira and Kili quietly cheered once again.

Maori gave him the biggest and brightest smile before throwing her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck, holding him close to her.

Her hand reached down into her pocket as she pulled away. "I want you to have something," she told him. She took his hand and held it open as her other hand withdrew from her pocket and pressed something into his palm.

Fili looked down into his hand. It was a thin silver chain and on the chain was a ring. The ring was made of gold with a ruby surrounded by tiny, sparkling white stones.

"This was my grandmother's," Maori explained. "It passed down to my mother when she passed away and then my mother left it for me when she departed after my father's death. I want you to have it."

When she saw Fili starting to shake his head and open his mouth to protest, she placed the tip of her hand against his mouth to silence him. "I'm giving it to you, Fili, as a promise…that I will wait for you. I want _you_ to accept it as a promise that you will return after you take back Erebor."

There was no arguing with her, Fili realized. Not that he wanted to argue with her. He figured if he did, she would probably chop another one of his braids off. Personally he thought that once was quite enough. But this was what she wanted and he was going to respect her wish.

"I will take it," he said as he took the chain and fastened it around his neck, "and in return…." He let his sentence hang as he turned Maori around and brought two locks of her hair from both sides of her hair around to the back of her head.

Maori's heart jumped into her throat. She knew what he was doing.

As quickly yet carefully as he could, Fili twisted her hair into a lovely Dwarven courting braid and finished it off with placing one of his own clasps on the end.

"You give me your mother's ring as a symbol of your promise," he said, "and I give you a Dwarven braid as a symbol of _my_ promise." Then he turned her back around to face him. "When all of this is over, I _will_ return for you, my love. I give you my word."

It warmed Maori's heart to see her mother's ring resting against Fili's chest on the chain. It warmed her heart even more to know that he had given her a courting braid; something so significant in Dwarf culture. Now there was a strong feeling of hope rising inside her at his promise along with her own that they would be together again.

"Farewell, Prince Fili," she said calmly with a smile, laying a hand against his cheek.

"Farewell, Maori Irondelver," he replied. He reached up and took her hand in his. Then, just as he had done when they first met, he bent over and pressed his smiling lips firmly to the back of her hand.

They shared one final parting kiss and a loving glance before Fili turned his back and walked away, feeling glad that Aira and Kili had convinced him to say goodbye to Maori in person.

As for the other two, they heard his footsteps approaching from around the corner and Aira shoved Kili the other way, whispering, "Go, go, quick!" so as to not get caught eavesdropping. The two of them ran off as fast as they could, grinning the whole way back.

* * *

"Be on your guard," Thorin called out to everyone at the head of the line as they made their way up the mountainside. "We're about to step over the Edge of the Wild." Then he turned to Balin behind him. "Balin, you know these paths. Lead on."

Balin complied and led the way while Thorin stood by and watched as the rest of the company passed him.

As Aira came by, she stepped aside and stood next to Thorin as he looked back at Rivendell.

"Fili said goodbye to Maori, then?" he asked her.

"Aye, he did," she answered. "It was difficult for both of them at first, but they managed."

"She's a very amiable woman. I'm glad he found her and that she is your friend."

"As am I, on both counts. Fili intends to return for her after Erebor is retaken."

"And so he should."

They both then noticed that Bilbo had lagged behind and was looking back at the city. Aira knew he was going to miss it. He had spent so many years of his life dreaming of Elves and seeing the Elven cities like Imladris and it was unfortunate that that dream had to be short-lived.

"Master Baggins!" Thorin called out. "I suggest you keep up." With that, he turned and followed after the company.

Aira waited up for Bilbo as he made his way up the path. "Don't worry, my friend," she told him in a calming manner as they started walking again. "This won't be the last time you will see Rivendell. You will come back again, I'm sure."

"I certainly hope to," said Bilbo. "I really think I could live here someday." Then he chuckled. "Perhaps when I'm much older."

"That _is_ a possibility," said Aira as she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Once they were outside of the Hidden Valley, the company's trek over the Misty Mountains was long, stretching over valleys and rivers and rocky plains. Every step they took forward was a step closer to the Lonely Mountain; to taking back the Dwarves' homeland. While they knew of the dangers that lay ahead, they cared not. Every member of the company was aware of the risks and were willing to face them head-on, even Smaug the Terrible. The Dwarves were a determined bunch; nothing would stand in their way. As Thorin had told Aira before, there was no knowing what the Dwarves would not dare and do for revenge or the recovery of his or her own.

The time for action was now and they were on their way to do what no one before them had been able to accomplish. They were on their way to achieve the impossible.

They had traveled a long ways in the span of the day, only stopping for their afternoon meal and to take a short rest just a couple of times. By the time the twilight of evening was upon them, the entire company was exhausted. They stayed awake for a quick supper and, before long, the tendrils of slumber overtook them.

* * *

_There were angry shouts, battle cries and dying screams all around her mixed with the sounds of clashing swords. Aira found herself standing in the middle of a battle. She could see Elves, Men and Dwarves fighting Goblins, Orcs and Wargs. There were also the Eagles flying around in the sky or diving to the ground to take up any opposing dark creatures in their talons. Many dead bodies of all races lay spread about on the battlefield. It was such a gruesome sight._

_As she looked around, she could see all the members of the company scattered around the rocky terrain, fighting hard for their lives. Her heart began to race in panic as she couldn't find the three she was most concerned about. Where were they? What was happening? She had no idea where she was or what was going on or how this battle had started. Considering the amount of fighting taking place and all the different races that were a part of it, she wasn't sure she wanted to know how it all started._

_Then she saw them._

_Fili and Kili were fighting a team of Orcs together that continued to advance on them, snarling and waving their cruelly made weapons. _

_Then, to Aira's utter horror, not far behind them was Thorin battling against the pale monster himself: Azog, the Defiler. The Dwarf King was armed with his mighty sword, Orcrist, and his oaken branch shield that had saved his life once before against the terrible foe. The Orc was whirling his mace around in Thorin's direction and he would either jump back or block it with it his shield before taking the chance to attack. Aira could see the anger in his face and eyes that was driving him in this fight. However, he appeared to be growing tired and slower in his advances. Azog's attacks became more frequent and Thorin kept stumbling back to keep out of reach. Aira had a horrible feeling about what was going to happen._

_She moved to run to him but found that she couldn't. Her legs couldn't move; her feet were stuck in place. No matter how hard she tried, her body couldn't move at all; she was forced to stand where she was in that same position. She grew frantic and could only watch helplessly as Thorin was beginning to falter against his enemy._

_Her head turned and found Fili and Kili again. Luckily for them, they had the upper hand against the Orcs they were taking on. They were fighting bravely and appeared to be winning._

_Just then, there was a loud cry. Aira whipped around and was frightened to see Thorin tumbling down and Azog swinging his mace across his chest._

_"Thorin!" Fili shouted from the side. He and Kili started to sprint towards their uncle to protect him._

_Whiz!_

_The feathered end of an arrow was suddenly protruding from Fili's back and he cried out in pain as he staggered limply to the ground._

_Horrified, Aira opened her mouth to scream, but no sound passed her lips. She found herself unable to speak or shout either. It was maddening and only added to her growing fear and shock._

_Kili spun around, screaming his brother's name horribly, and started to run back to him. _

_Whiz!_

_Kili was stopped in his tracks as his chest was pierced by an Orc's arrow. His eyes grew wide and he too gave one final cry of pain as his body collapsed down beside his dead older brother._

_Aira could feel her heart wrenching and writhing in agony as it was breaking into a thousand pieces. Her entire body lost all feeling. She had just watched her brother and her only love; her best friends get killed right in front of her! There were tears of hurt and pain cascading without fail down her face at the torture she was having to endure. This couldn't be happening! It couldn't be!_

_Her eyes drifted and she saw Azog lifting Thorin from the ground by the back of his coat onto his knees. Thorin, despite how weak he was becoming, struggled against him, but he no longer had his sword or his shield at hand. He was defenseless. Azog, with a malevolent cackle, drew a long, curved knife from his belt and slowly brought it to Thorin's throat._

_Just as Aira feared the worst was about to occur, time seemed to abruptly stand still. There was neither sound to be heard nor movement to be seen from anyone. She was startled. What had just happened?_

_Suddenly, her eyes lifted to the sky and she noticed the sun above her was beginning to change. It transformed before her very eyes into what appeared to be a glowing gem; the most beautiful, radiant and mesmerizing gem she had ever seen._

_If her memory served correct, she seemed to recall Thorin describing a gem of that certain likeness to her once. His words for it were, "It was a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, water in the sun, snow under the stars, and rain upon the moon!" _

_She knew what this entrancing globe was very well._

_Her gaze looked back to Thorin a distance away and she flinched in fright. He was staring in her direction, but his eyes were glowing brightly like the gem in the sky. Its power was overcoming him and Aira was scared at the sight of what it was doing to the King she loved so dearly. She wanted to run away yet she wanted to save him, but there was nothing she could do._

_Then, to make things worse, Azog's body started to move again. His blade pressed against Thorin's throat and he lifted his evil gaze up to meet hers. He flashed a defiant grin and said to her with his menacing voice in the Orc language three words that struck her to the core:_

_"You will fail."_

_Before she could process his words, the pale Orc thrust his hand out and the next thing she knew, there was blood pouring out from Thorin's neck and his lifeless form slumped down to the ground._

_In that instant, Aira's voice returned and she let out a shrill and terrified scream._

* * *

With a gasp, Aira jolted awake, panting for breath as she regained her senses. It had just been a nightmare, but it was the worst one yet. This one had felt more real than any other horrible dream she had dreamt in the past.

Just to be sure, she turned her head and found Kili and Fili next to her. She remembered falling asleep snuggled up next to Kili, but somehow she had rolled away from him. They both were breathing and fast asleep, looking calm as they were lost in their own dreams.

Then her eyes found Thorin's sleeping form a few feet away. He too looked peaceful in slumber as his chest rose and fell slowly and what made her feel even better was the fact that there was no blood trickling down his neck.

Aira let out a heavy sigh of relief. She had been so terrified. She knew why she had had the nightmare. No matter how much she wished it didn't, Galadriel's prophecy continued to gnaw away persistently at her mind and soul.

She rose to her feet and ran, wanting to distance herself away from the sleeping company and be alone for a little while.

After a minute of running, Aira got a good few yards away before sinking down to the ground by a small stream and burying her face in her hands, trying to get over her horrible dream.

"Aira, are you all right?"

Startled, Aira jumped. She hadn't heard anyone follow her. She whirled around to see Bofur coming up behind her looking very concerned. He had been on watch only a moment ago when Aira suddenly woke up and left. He was worried about her and wanted to see if she was all right, so he had woke up Nori to take over the watch and had followed her.

"I'm fine, Bofur," she lied.

He sat down next to her and shook his head. He didn't buy that at all. "Don't lie to me, Aira," he said calmly. "I know you had some sort of nightmare back there. What happened? You can tell me."

She hesitated. She didn't want anyone to know of what Galadriel had told her, but keeping it to herself was only eating her alive. It didn't take her long to conclude that, out of anyone in the company, Bofur was the perfect person to vent to about it.

Then she said quietly, "I will tell you, but I need to explain something first. If I do, will you promise not to tell anyone? Especially Thorin and his nephews…because it involves them."

Bofur nodded. "I swear I won't tell a soul. Whatever your secret is, it will be safe with me, lass."

Feeling content with that response, Aira exhaled and said, "Back in Rivendell, I met an Elf Lady. Her name was Galadriel. She told me about my future."

Bofur glanced at her curiously.

"I know you may say that she is an Elf and Elves only tell lies," Aira put in defensively, "but I know that was not the case with her. I could see the truth of her words in her eyes; how serious she was about it."

"What did she tell you?"

She proceeded to tell him everything: about her meeting with Galadriel as well as what the Elf Lady told her before she had gone to read the map in the caverns.

Like Aira, Bofur was quick to figure out what would have to happen to Thorin, Fili and Kili in order for Dain to become King Under the Mountain. "No, no, no…!" he muttered. "That can't be true; that can't happen!"

"_That_ was what my nightmare was about…," said Aira in response. "I saw all three of them get killed in battle and there was nothing I could do to save them." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I'm scared, Bofur…I'm scared that I will fail. I've been given this special purpose to somehow save the line of Durin and ensure that Thorin becomes King…and I'm frightened that I may not have what it takes. I can't do it alone!"

She buried her face in her hands and tried to control herself as she felt her tears falling and her fear growing inside her.

Bofur scooted closer to Aira and gently wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "But you are _not_ alone, lass," he said to calm her. "You have the company, you have Thorin and his nephews, and you have me!" He raised a hand under chin and lifted her tear-filled eyes to meet his kind and gentle ones. "You won't have to do this alone, Aira."

"But I don't want the others to know about it."

"And they won't. The others don't have to know about what you're going through to know that they have to protect those of Durin's line as well."

Aira looked up at him with a look of confusion. She didn't understand what he meant.

"When we all chose to come on this quest," he explained, "we, in doing so, vowed to protect our King with our lives. We all wish to see Thorin take his rightful place as King and will do anything to make that happen. We are all doing the same as what _you_ have been prophesied to do, Aira. We just don't know it."

Bofur brushed a stray tear that had fallen from Aira's cheek. "Don't let your fear get to you, lass," he said softly. "It will only destroy you. You are strong of might, mind, heart and soul! We didn't give you the name 'Goldenheart' for nothing! You have that name because _that_ is what we see in you…and it's just as the Elf Lady said: your heart has been and will be your greatest ally." He squeezed her shoulders gently to reassure her. "Trust in your heart, Aira. It won't fail you because it never has before. Let your heart guide you through this and you will know what to do."

Aira sighed contently, feeling her tension lifting from her. Having finally gotten that all off her chest and hearing Bofur's consoling, encouraging words, she felt better and calmer than before.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him firmly. "Thank you!" she whispered. "Thank you so much, Bofur! I've wanted so badly to just tell all this to someone, but the ones I normally tell everything to are the ones that can't know most of all. But I'm glad that _you_ were the one on watch when I woke. I don't think I could've told this to anyone else."

He gave her a soft pat on the back. "I'm always here for you," he replied thoughtfully as she let go of him. "You mean a lot to me, Aira; to all of us lads. And you're one of my greatest friends. Friends don't let each other go through things alone, especially when they're scared."

Aira gratefully kissed Bofur's cheek, flicked the end of his floppy hat playfully and laid her head down on his shoulder. She was so thankful to have a kindhearted friend like him; one who cared for her as a close friend and she could vent to about anything and would be there for her no matter what.

Soon, she felt her eyelids growing heavy and she fell back to sleep before she even realized it. Once Bofur noticed that she was asleep again, he carefully picked her up in his arms and carried her back to camp.

* * *

The following day turned out to be more brutal than the last. The mountain pass was growing more and more narrow and dangerous and it didn't help that, on top of it all, a massive thunderstorm was raining down upon them. The rain made the steep path more slippery, causing the company to stumble and slip around and almost lose their footing. It was also lashing at their faces and clouding their vision, which was only making things worse.

Aira was in between Fili and Kili, which was to be expected. That way if she were to start to fall, one of them would be able to grab her from front or back. She had insisted at first that it wouldn't be necessary, but eventually she realized that it was better to have them there. And that way she could help them if either of them started to fall, too. Luckily, that had happened too many times just yet.

"Hey! Hold on!" she heard Thorin shout from the front.

They were carefully making their down the path when Bilbo started to lose his footing. Lucky for him, Dwalin grabbed him and pushed him back against the wall.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin cried out.

"Look out!" Dwalin then bellowed.

They all turned to see a massive boulder flying through the air in their direction. It collided with the mountain wall above them and shattered, sending its pieces tumbling down towards them.

"Take cover!" Gloin called out as they all backed against the wall and shielded themselves from the falling debris.

"This is no thunderstorm!" Balin stated. "It's a thunder _battle_! Look!" He pointed out into the distance.

The dense fog in the air lifted and Aira gasped to see an enormous rock formation shaped like a human being and it was moving! Its arm was raised, lifting another boulder.

"Well, bless me!" Bofur gasped, astonished. "The legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!"

The boulder the giant has lifted was now thrown into the air over them. They all watched as it smashed into the face of another stone giant behind them.

"Take cover, you fool!" Thorin shouted to Bofur who was still standing by the edge.

"Hold on!" Dwalin cried as the mountain they were all on was starting to move.

_"Oh, this can't be good!"_ Aira thought to herself.

"What's happening?" said Kili.

Suddenly the ground directly below Aira began to split apart underneath her feet and she slipped backwards. Fili caught her around the waist and pulled her up before she could fall.

He reached out for Kili and yelled, "Kili, grab my hand!" But it was too late. The mountain was moving apart and they were too far away to reach each other.

"Fili! Aira!" Kili cried out as he fearfully watched them drift away.

"No!" Aira called back as Kili and half of the company was separated from them. She looked up and saw that they were on the legs of yet another stone giant. She cried out in surprise and pressed herself up against Fili as the mountain continued to move.

He wrapped a tight arm around her waist and clutched her close to him. "Hold onto me, Aira!" he said to her. "I've got you!"

Aira found it almost difficult to keep a firm hold on Fili as the leg of the giant they were on kept moving and making them all thrash about, trying to keep their balance. The winds picked up and the rain stung on their eyes and faces.

Suddenly the leg turned about and the lot of them just about lost their balance altogether. As it moved, they could see the other half of the company had made it safely off the other leg of the stone giant and back onto the mountain. They could hear them shouting to them in fear and warning. Aira could hear smashing noises above her, but she dared not look up to see the fight ensuing between the giants.

However, to her dismay, she realized that they were suddenly moving fast towards the wall of the mountain and they weren't stopping. They were going to be crushed!

"Fili!" she shouted, grabbing onto Fili as tightly as she could, bracing herself for impact.

Within seconds, the stone giant's leg crashed into the mountain and Aira was ripped away from Fili as she was sent flying through the air.

* * *

**Thorin's POV**

Back on the mountain, Thorin and the remaining Dwarves watched in fear as the rest of the company suddenly collided into the stone wall not far ahead of them.

Thorin was filled with dread as he saw what had happened. "NO! No!" he yelled in horror. He feared the worst. Half of his company had just been crushed and, what was even worse, Fili and Aira had been with them. He couldn't believe it; he didn't want to, even though it was inevitable.

Once the remains of the stone giant fell into the dark chasm below, Thorin immediately began to make his way as fast as he could down the path to where the rest of the company had crashed with the other Dwarves following him. "No! Fili! Aira!" he shouted. He rounded a corner and gasped at what he found.

The remainder of his company were all lying on the ground coughing, groaning and looking around in bewilderment. They were alive!

An immense wave of relief swept over Thorin at the sight and a glad smile spread across his face as he moved to help his companions.

"It's all right! They're alive!" Gloin called to the others behind him.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur suddenly asked in a concerned tone. But then he sounded even more worried as his next query was raised, "And where's Aira?"

Thorin's blood froze and his heart stopped. He frantically looked around, but there was no sight of Aira or the Halfling. His fear from a moment ago returned to him.

But then they all heard a voice cry out for help.

It was Aira's voice.

"There!" called Bofur, pointing down.

To their shock, they saw Aira hanging from an edge on the side of the mountain, holding onto it with one hand and clutching a dangling Bilbo by his pack in the other. She was grunting in pain, straining to keep her hold on Bilbo and the mountain all at once.

"Aira!" both Thorin and Kili shouted once they caught sight of her.

"Get them!" Dwalin ordered worriedly.

Both Ori and Bofur got down and tried to reach down to Aira but she was too far down for either of them to get to her.

"She's too far, we can't reach her!" Ori cried.

Thorin was going mad with frenzy and anxiety just watching Aira dangling from the mountain with Bilbo. If he didn't take action now, something horrible was going to happen. The Hobbit was _his_ responsibility and, more importantly, so was Aira. He was _not_ going to lose her!

On impulse, Thorin swung himself over the edge and lowered himself down to a ledge just above Aira, hearing Dwalin tell him, "I've got you, lad!"

Mustering all the strength she could, Aira started to lift Bilbo up towards her. "Take…Bilbo…first!" she groaned as she strained to pull the Hobbit up.

Thorin reached down, grabbed onto Bilbo's pack and lifted him, pushing him up towards the others who pulled him up onto the ledge.

Aira exhaled sharply once Thorin pulled Bilbo away and she no longer had to hold his weight. Now she could focus on keeping herself steady.

Thorin grabbed hold of a part of another small ledge and carefully lowered himself farther down so that he was almost parallel with Aira. Seeing her hanging helplessly was scaring him, but now he could get her to safety.

He kept a firm hold on the ledge he was still clinging to, leaned further out towards Aira and extended an arm to her. "Aira, grab onto me!" he told her loudly. "Let go of the ledge, I've got you!"

She immediately obeyed. Cautiously, she reached out and grasped the fur of his coat just above his neck. Once she was certain she had a good grip on it, she let go of the stone ledge with her other hand and quickly threw it around the other side of his neck while he wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pressed her up against him protectively.

"I've got you," he repeated as she fearfully clung to him.

Relieved now that Aira was safe, Thorin started to climb back up the mountain, reaching up to Dwalin who was reaching out to help him.

Unfortunately, the ledge Thorin was standing on was too slippery. He suddenly lost his footing and both he and Aira began to fall. The others back up on the ledge all shouted in fear. However, Dwalin had swift reflexes and caught Thorin's arm, stopping his descent, but not Aira's. As Thorin's body jolted from halting his fall, she lost her grip around Thorin's neck and shoulders and was dropping rapidly.

"No!" shouted Thorin once he felt Aira go down. His hand shot out and grabbed onto Aira's before she got too far and he held onto her for dear life.

But, to his alarm, he could feel her slipping away. His leather gloves were too slick from the rain. He was losing her. He could feel her hand tense up and her grip tightened.

His petrified gaze met hers underneath him. They both were terrified at what they feared was about to happen: she was going to fall into the darkness below.

"Aira, hold on!" Thorin yelled in panic as he tried to keep his grip on her. He wasn't going to lose her now.

"I can't!" Aira cried out, the terror of the situation evident in her voice. She couldn't keep a strong enough hold on his hand and she was slipping down. "THORIN!"

Her grip was then lost.

"NOOO!" Thorin screamed awfully as he watched Aira plummeting down into the chasm.

"AIRA!" shouted the voices of Fili and Kili in sheer fright along with a few others. Kili just about launched himself over the edge in panic, but was held back by Dori.

The entire company was absolutely horrified as they saw Aira falling into the black abyss below, her last blood-curdling scream echoing in the mountain before she disappeared from view.

Thorin stared into the darkness beneath him in shock. He could literally feel his heart bursting inside his chest from the pain that now overcame him.

"No…Aira…_NO_!" His fist slammed into the stone wall as he was consumed by overwhelming grief.

He had failed her.

Aira was gone.

.

**All I'm going to say is...please don't kill me! :/**

**Review or PM me with your thoughts! I promise to update as often as I can, if time permits me to!**

**Also, the 2 Tolkien lines from the book:**

**"There's no knowing what a Dwarf will dare and do for revenge or the recovery of his own."  
(The Master of Lake Town said this to describe Thorin)**

**"It was a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, water in the sun, snow under the stars, and rain upon the moon!"  
(This one's abridged a little...but Thorin said this to describe a certain jewel that needs no naming... ;) I'm sure you all know what it is...!)**

**Until next time! :)**


	28. Grief and Strength

**Finally, I have an update! Like I said, I've got online classes I'm dealing with plus longer work hours, so I don't have as much time to write as before, but I make do as much as I can! Thanks so much for your patience!**

**I know, I was insanely cruel to you all last chapter...and for those of you who guessed what's happened to Aira, your guesses are all good! But I will not reveal the answer just yet... ;P**

**By the way, the Desolation of Smaug trailer? TOTALLY EPIC! :D I watched it the minute it was released online and have watched it probably about 15-20 times now! ;D (10 of those were within the first hour after its release! lol) No words can describe my utter excitement! :D**

**Warning, this is a sad one...and I got emotional myself just writing it...so be prepared!**

**.**

**Thorin's POV**

Once Thorin was pulled back up to the ledge, no one in the company said a word. The utter shock of what had just occurred still consumed their hearts and minds like a plague.

They found an entrance to a cave and they all quickly ducked inside. Although, caves in the mountain were seldom unoccupied, so they searched to the back. There was nothing to be found.

When Gloin suggested getting a fire started, Thorin immediately snapped at him, "No! No fires, not in this place." He had said that a bit harsher than he had intended and immediately regretted it. Quickly, he moved on and ordered, "Get some sleep. We start at first light."

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. _That _was the plan," Balin pointed out, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

Thorin glanced at him through his wet locks of dark hair that hung over his eyes. Personally, he was glad for that so his friend couldn't see the agony and the hurt in his eyes. He looked at Balin sadly and responded, "Plans change."

He turned to look over his shoulder. Bofur was standing behind him. "Bofur, take the first watch," he ordered before walking off back to the entrance of the cave. The rain had lightened up but it was still dark outside. Thorin walked out and stood near the ledge, staring out in the distance at the mountains.

He needed time alone. His heart was too heavy to just sit around inside or try to sleep. There was an unquenchable, blazing fire, fueled from grief and pain, burning a huge hole in his heart. It was growing more and more as thoughts of Aira in her last moments wouldn't leave his mind or heart in peace, he could literally feel it. He could still hear her screaming his name in fright and desperation….

A sharp gasp escaped his mouth and his legs became weak. He had to steady himself against the stone wall. The pain was becoming too much. He remained where he was until he felt the uneasiness pass.

How could this have happened? What had he done to deserve losing Aira? He believed that things would be all right with her joining them on the journey and now she was gone, lost within the darkness of the mountains.

_"I should have made her stay in Rivendell…!"_ Thorin thought to himself. _"I know she would've followed us, but I should have found a way to keep her there."_

As he cursed himself for not leaving her behind, Thorin's mind wandered back to the night they were in the Shire; the first time he had seen Aira in thirty years. He remembered the joy he felt in seeing her again and knowing she was all right. He had felt the calmest he had ever felt in years.

He remembered something he told her that night when everyone else had gone to sleep: _"You are a part of my family, Airaním, and that is all I ever want for you: to make sure you are safe and protected."_

That was where he had failed. He had tried to protect her and he lost her.

His chest began to burn again and he felt he could barely breathe. Her loss was becoming too great for him. It had been many a year since he last felt the sharp sting of death this severely. The last time had been when his grandfather had been slain by the pale Orc. Even then, it hadn't been as severe compared to what he was feeling now.

The gods were not kind to Thorin, he felt.

They had allowed a dragon to attack and take Erebor from him and his people, driving them out homeless into the wilderness.

They had taken his mother when he was young.

His grandfather and brother, Frerin, at Azanulbizar.

Dis's husband; Fili and Kili's father.

Thrain, his father, or so he assumed, since no one else knew what had become of him.

Telyna and Rimedur, his close friends; Aira's parents.

And now, Aira; the young child he took in years ago and grew to love as his own.

Her heartfelt words to him from that night in the Shire began to sound in his head:

_"There is a saying that says, 'home is where the heart is' and I came to realize just how true that is…my heart has always been with my family; here, my heart is with you, Fili and Kili…my home is wherever any of you are."_

Then Thorin remembered when Aira had convinced him to show Elrond his map and what had been said between them when he agreed.

He had asked her, _"What would I do without you?"_

To which she grinned and replied proudly, _"You'll never have to find out because you'll never be without me. I'm not going anywhere."_

_"You'll never be without me…I'm not going anywhere…you'll never be without me…."_ Her words repeated over and over inside his head.

If only either of them could've known how untrue that would be.

"I'm sorry, Aira…!" he moaned sadly out loud, fighting hard to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry…!"

A moment later, Thorin heard Dwalin come out and say his name. Thorin didn't turn to face him, but continued to stare off in the distance.

"You should come back inside, lad, and get some rest," Dwalin told him. "You're going to need it."

"I will find no rest here. Not in this cursed place," Thorin replied in a dark, sorrowful tone.

There was no response. Thorin turned slightly over his shoulder and noticed Dwalin was starting to walk back to the cave. He didn't want him to go yet. He needed to talk to someone about all of this and he knew that Dwalin was someone who would listen and talk with him.

"How could this have happened, Dwalin?" Thorin asked him, still facing away from him. "Of all the ways she could've been lost to us…why did it have to happen this way?

Dwalin sighed. "I wish I knew…but I can't say." He paused for a minute, making his way over by Thorin, before saying, "Be grateful, at least, it didn't happen in a worse way. A week ago she was almost killed by Wargs."

"Back before Rivendell, when she was fighting the Wargs and we were in the tunnel," Thorin began, "I prayed to Mahal to give Aira and I a second chance so I could make things right. We had had that awful argument beforehand…she could've died and I didn't want her to die thinking such awful things of me." He shook his head and exhaled. "Then, our first night in the Elven city, when we played the harps and sang songs together, I really thought we had been given that second chance." Then his voice turned grim. "But now I see that the gods have only been mocking me; making me believe Aira and I had that chance to start things anew just so they could take her from me!"

"Don't speak like that," Dwalin said a little loudly. "At least she died bravely. She saved our burglar. It would've been much worse had we lost him, too.

"_He's_ been lost ever since he left home! He should never have come! He has no place amongst us."

"You are the only one who thinks that, Thorin. The others have accepted the Halfling and, more importantly, Aira did, too. If what you just said was true, she would not have risked her life to save him."

There was a small moment of silence between them before Thorin turned and looked at Dwalin, his face full of despair. "I failed her, Dwalin," he said miserably. "I promised her that I would do everything in my power to protect her…and I failed."

Dwalin laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "You did everything you could. It was not your fault. You were hanging from the side of the mountain; there wasn't anything more you could've done." Then he sighed. "At least she's with her mother and father now."

Thorin, however, found no comfort in those words, even though he knew he should. "I never told her. I never told her the truth…of what she meant to me. Any opportunity I had to do so, the time never felt right. I would still feel afraid to tell her the truth. And now she'll never know."

"She knows, Thorin. I'm certain she does."

"But it's not the same. I still feel she had a right to actually hear it from me." Thorin let out a shaky sigh. "I knew I cared about her before she came into my care, but I never thought my attachment to her would become so strong."

"She had that effect on all of us," Dwalin responded.

Thorin could feel his guilt and grief building up again. He wasn't sure how much more of it he could take. He was weakening. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know if I can go on," he admitted.

"We still have a long way of our quest ahead of us. You _have_ to go on," Dwalin said back.

Now it all was beginning to burst. "Aira is _dead_!" Thorin cried sternly, raising his voice. "The one reason I had that kept me going all these years and now she's gone! And it's because of me! I don't believe I can do this anymore."

Dwalin couldn't believe what he was hearing: Thorin; his King, friend and companion who fought long hard for the purpose of their quest was giving up. He could at least understand why his friend wanted to give up because he was in pain and suffering from the loss of someone close to him, but Dwalin knew that Thorin was stronger than that. And he knew this was not what Aira would want. He had to say or do something to make him see that, even if Thorin would be angry with him.

"_This is for your own good, laddie,"_ Dwalin thought to himself as he removed his iron glove from one of his hands. Then he made Thorin face him, clenched a fist tightly and suddenly punched him dead and hard in the face, making him cry out and stumble backwards from the blow.

"Listen to yourself, lad!" Dwalin bellowed.

Thorin just stared back at him, his eyes huge with the shock at what had just happened.

The burly Dwarf then shouted, "Do you honestly think you were the only one to love that girl?! We _all_ did! Yet you don't see or hear any of us saying we're going to give up!" He paused to let himself calm a little, but then his voice only raised again as he said, "I understand how hard this is, but you are our leader; our King and you are supposed to set a strong example for your followers!"

"I JUST LOST MY DAUGHTER, DWALIN!" Thorin screamed at the top of his lungs in anger and grief, his voice breaking. "You would be feeling this way, as well, if you were in my place!"

He stopped and started panting heavily, having let out so much in that one statement. He could hear his shout echoing in the mountains and beginning to fade away. Dwalin had actually taken a step back, taken aback from Thorin's outburst. They both were stunned. Not only had Dwalin never gotten so physical with him like that before, but Thorin had never shouted at him like that before, either. There was just so much bottled up inside him and it was beyond maddening. He couldn't contain it anymore.

Starting to calm down a little bit, he went on, "Besides, maybe I've grown tired of being the strong example everyone expects me to be. That's all I've ever done! I do what I can for my people, but in doing so I have lost the time I need to be strong for _myself_!

"There were many times in the past where I just wanted to give up. Smaug's siege of Erebor, the betrayal of the Elves, the loss of my grandfather and Frerin, my father's disappearance, having the responsibility of being King suddenly thrust upon me and having to build a new life for an entire people: it all became too great of a burden for me to bear alone. I wished it all would end. I know I still had my sister and her sons, but there was a time where not even _they_ seemed to be enough. All I wanted was to let go of everything and just end it all….but then Rimedur passed away and Aira came into my life; a beautiful, wonderful child who brought out the best in me and changed everything."

Now, the tears in Thorin's eyes could no longer be kept back and he let them fall down his face and seep into his beard. "Aira and I had a connection from the start," he continued, trying to keep his calm. "She and I were very much alike in so many ways. We understood each other, sometimes more than we understood ourselves. She brought out sides of me that not even my own flesh and blood could. She was the light that brought me out of the darkest of times, just as I had been that light for her when she mourned Rimedur…."

Thorin saw that Dwalin's face had softened in listening to him. But then he felt his own expression drop. "And now she's gone," he said. "I've lost her…and I'll never be able to forgive myself. I don't think I can continue this quest with the burden of that guilt haunting me forever."

His legs were starting to lose strength and he dropped down to his knees on the stone ledge. Once he steadied himself, Thorin dropped his face to his hands, trying hard to pull himself together.

Dwalin knelt down next to him and laid his hand on Thorin's back. "You and I both know that you're stronger than that," he said to him encouragingly.

Thorin just sighed. Right now, he couldn't quite believe that.

"And what do you think Aira would say to you if she could hear you now?" Dwalin asked. "Do you think she'd want you to give up everything you've worked and fought so hard for just because she's gone?"

Even though he knew the answer to those questions, Thorin remained silent.

"No, she would not," Dwalin answered for him. Then he said nobly, "The dear lass believed in this quest and, above all, she believed in _you_. Giving up all of this would be an insult to her memory and sacrifice! You know that's true. She would say this quest is more important than her life. She wouldn't want any of us to give in to our grief and give up, especially you."

He then said to him in a calm voice, "We're all hurting, lad. What happened is devastating for us all, especially for the young lads." He gave Thorin a gentle shake to make sure he was still listening. "Fili and Kili are going to need you, Thorin. This just as hard on _them_, too, if not worse. Kili will need you most of all. From what Balin told me, the lad nearly threw himself off the mountain to go after Aira! He hasn't spoken a word since."

Dwalin grasped Thorin's shoulder comfortingly. "He and Fili will need you to be there for them. You have to be strong for them…and do the same for Airaním. She would want you to be strong now. If you can't do it for any of us, or even your nephews, then at least do it for her."

With that being said, Dwalin got back up to his feet and walked back to the cave, leaving Thorin alone again to contemplate everything he had said.

There was too much on his mind now to try to think it all over. He was beginning to grow weary and decided to go back inside and try to get some rest. After getting out his bedroll, Thorin laid himself down upon it, his back facing away from the rest of the company.

He could still hear Aira's voice in his mind.

_"I'm not going anywhere…you'll never be without me…."_

Thorin sighed unevenly and closed his eyes to rest. He thought mournfully, _"If only that were true…."_

Then his tiredness took hold and he succumbed to sleep with one final thought running through his mind as silent tears were shed from the corners of his eyes:

_"I love you, my dear daughter…always…."_

* * *

**Kili's POV**

It didn't take long for the rest of the company to join Thorin in resting. They were all exhausted and the events of the day had taken a great toll on them all, so only moments passed before everyone else in the company had laid down and gone to sleep.

Everyone except Kili.

Since the moment he had tried to jump from the mountain after Aira and Dori had stopped him, the poor young Dwarf hadn't uttered a single word. Once they were inside the cave, he had gone all the way to the back in the farthest corner and sat himself there, away from everyone else. Somehow, he had not yet shed any tears, yet that didn't mean the pain was any less agonizing. The shock of losing Aira had completely consumed him and he became torpid; immobile. He didn't want to move, he didn't want to speak to anyone, and he didn't want to think.

Aira; _his_ Aira, whom he loved more than life itself, was lost.

Ever since the night in the Shire when they had been reunited, Kili couldn't ever imagine life without her. She was his best friend and the love of his life; he was always so sure that they would spend the rest of their lives together. They would live out the quest and fight side by side all the way; they would find a new home in Erebor, perhaps be married someday and would live the remainder of their lives in peace together. This was the future he thought was inevitable.

Now that future was gone completely.

All that he could see now was a dark and dreary future without Aira where he would live out the rest of his life alone. He could never give his heart or his love to anyone else, not when it all belonged to her entirely.

Kili's entire body was numb and frozen. He had long since dried off from the rain, but it was the excruciating pain of his loss that numbed every part of him from feeling any other emotions or feelings.

He no longer felt whole, like something; a part of him was missing. His heart was shattered like glass that could never be repaired. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

It amazed him at how quickly life could change because, within the span of a couple of minutes, his life had been completely changed when he least expected it.

Aira was gone and Kili felt alone. He began to wonder just how he had been able to get along without her during the thirty years she had been away from Ered Luin.

_"I never realized I loved her in all that time…,"_ he thought to himself. _"It was hard with her gone, but I always knew she'd come back. Now…she'll never come back."_

"Kili…."

He didn't react or respond as Fili sat up from his bedroll next to him and was looking at him with a worried expression on his face. His eyes were a little red; he had shed his fair share of silent tears that evening and clearly he had done so before falling asleep, up until now.

The eldest Prince took his brother by the shoulders and begged him, "Brother, please, speak to me…or do something. I know you're suffering, but you haven't moved or said a word all night and it's scaring me! Your eyes look far and distant; you're not here where you belong and where you're needed. Please, Kee, say something!"

Kili just kept staring down at his knees and remained silent. When Fili was about ready to beg him again, he slowly but finally spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "Aira's gone, Fili…. She's gone…forever…and we'll never see her again. I've lost her…my one true love…my best friend…_our_ best friend…she's not coming back…Aira's lost forever!"

Then, after what felt like an eternity of despondency, Kili finally broke down, threw himself into Fili's consoling arms and began to sob violently in agony, every tiny bit of emotion that he had held in bursting from within him. Fortunately, the two of them were far enough back in the cave so that Kili's weeping wouldn't wake up the rest of the company.

"She was gone for thirty years…why would we get her back now just to lose her again?" Kili cried miserably.

Fili held Kili close, trying his best to comfort him, and sadly replied, "I don't know, Kili. I really wish I knew…."

Letting out a pitiful moan, Kili gasped, "My heart hurts, brother…! The pain is just unbearable…!"

"Mine hurts, too. I know it's not the same pain as what you feel, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less."

"I kept having the thought that, once we take the Lonely Mountain, I would marry her someday…and we would be together for eternity. Now, that dream has become nothing but a hopeless one that will never come true and it happened in only a matter of minutes!"

Fili tightened his arms around Kili. "I know a lot of this was unexpected. When we first left for this journey, we didn't even know Aira was going to be here…and when she joined, she changed everything. Just because she's gone doesn't mean that we toss everything aside and give up. Aira would say that this quest is about taking back our rightful home and defeating the beast who stole it from our people; that this quest was never about her and we should not make it so."

He pulled back a bit so that his younger brother looked at up him with wet, red and swollen sorrowful eyes. "We can't give up because she's gone, Kili," Fili told him as firmly as possible. "If we do, I'm absolutely certain that Aira will haunt us for the rest of our lives for making such a foolhardy and stubborn decision on her behalf."

Kili began to protest, "Fili, I don't think I can—"

"I know what you're going to say and I'm not going to let you say it!" Fili snapped, still keeping calm. "I know you loved her very much and find it difficult to function now, but you cannot go down that path. We _all_ have to find the strength to keep going and you must, too. Don't let Aira have died in vain, brother, by giving up all hope. Let us remain strong and finish what we set out to do…for Aira…to honor her and what she always believed in."

Kili could never have felt more grateful in his entire life to have such a wonderful older brother like Fili to always be there for him when he needed him. While there was still much sorrow in his heart, Kili found a small comfort in his brother's words, which was more than he ever thought he would feel again. And he knew he was right; he had to find the strength to continue on, but it was going to be so hard.

The youngest Prince's eyes welled up with tears again. "I miss her, brother…!" he choked out as he laid his head on his brother's chest again, clinging to him closely. "I miss her so much…!"

Fili rubbed his back soothingly. "So do I, Kee…so do I."

A brief moment of silence passed between before them before the two brothers heard low voices coming from the front part of the cave. They both looked at each other curiously and decided, without saying a word, to see what was going on. Kili quickly dried his wet cheeks and pulled himself together before following Fili to the part of the cave by the entrance.

They hid behind a wall as they could see Bilbo standing by the door with his pack all put together on his back and holding his walking stick. He looked like he was leaving. And Bofur was standing in front of him, having been on watch.

They heard him whisper, "No, you can't turn back now, eh? You're part of the company! You're one of us."

Bilbo replied, "I'm not now, am I? Thorin said I never should've come and he was right." Truthfully, he had heard when Thorin had said those words to Dwalin outside. "I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I never should've run out my door."

"You're homesick! I understand."

"No, you don't! You don't understand, none of you do. You're Dwarves! You're used to—to _this_ life; to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"

Fili and Kili were shocked at Bilbo's small outburst. How could he say such spiteful words? They thought he was their friend….

Bofur had remained silent. Bilbo immediately began to try and apologize for what he said, but couldn't find the right words.

"No, you're right," Bofur replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. He turned and looked around at the other sleeping Dwarves, not noticing the two Princes peering around a corner. "We don't belong anywhere."

Bilbo spoke again, "I'm sorry, my friend. And I'm not being completely honest…I don't entirely want to leave just because I feel like I don't belong…."

"Then what's wrong?"

"It's just…the only reason I'm still here right now is because Aira risked her life for mine. I feel like her death was _my_ fault."

_"Oh, no, Bilbo…!"_ both Fili and Kili thought sadly in hearing Bilbo admit that.

He went on, "I know Thorin and his nephews are suffering the most from Aira's loss…she was a part of their family. And she meant a great deal to all of you. She's dead because she saved me…Thorin has hard feelings against me already and I feel that he will only detest me even more because of this. He was right in saying I never should've come. If I hadn't, Aira would still be here…so I have to go."

Both the young Dwarves were floored at how much even the burglar was affected by everything that had happened. They didn't want him to feel that way, it wasn't his fault!

Bofur shook his head. "It's not your fault, laddie...," he said to him, "…but I suppose there's no stopping you, is there?"

Bilbo shook his head back.

There was a short pause and then Bofur said, "I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." He laid a hand on the Hobbit's shoulder and began to back away when he pointed out something peculiar about Bilbo's sword.

Bilbo pulled it out, showing that it was glowing a bright blue and his face fell.

_"That can't be good!"_ Fili and Kili thought.

They heard a light hissing noise and looked down to see the sand and dirt underneath their feet slipping down and forming a line.

Just then, Thorin's voice rang out loud and warningly, "Wake up! Wake up!"

Suddenly, before anyone could react, the floor split and collapsed beneath them like a trap door and every member of the company slid down into the ground. From there, they fell and tumbled down a long, winding tunnel that made them all incredibly dizzy before finally landing in a large basket-looking trap.

Kili had landed near the edge with Fili and their uncle was right in front of them.

"Look out!" they heard some of the Dwarves shout.

They looked up to see a mass of ugly, foul-looking goblins charging towards them, screeching as they jumped on the Dwarves and clawed at them.

Thorin whipped around and reached out for his nephews to protect them, but a goblin jumped on his back and pulled him away.

"No!" Fili cried.

"Thorin!" Kili called out.

They were pulled up and shoved forward by many more goblins, all of them shouting for them to get back and get away. Fili turned and punched one of them right off the edge of the ravine, but found himself pawed by more goblins than before. Soon he and Kili found themselves near the front of the mass. The foul creatures were merciless in tugging them along and keeping a firm grip on them with their clawed hands.

Kili was in between Fili and Thorin. He could see his brother pushing violently against the small creatures and he knew his uncle was putting up a hard fight behind him. He himself didn't resist as much and just let himself be pushed along. For what reason, he didn't really know. Now him and the entire company had been pretty much captured by goblins and where were they being led to? No one knew.

Kili realized that now he had no choice but to gather his courage and his strength and endure whatever was to come, even though he still bore a great deal of sorrow inside.

He thought to himself as he was pushed along, _"You never know how strong you are…until being strong is the only choice you have."_

.

**What'd I tell ya? :P**

**Btw, Kili's very last line was actually from a picture I found of Kili and it had that saying on it. I really liked it and wanted to use it. I don't know who said it, but if any of you do happen to know who did, let me know! :) **

**Review/PM me, like always! **


	29. Down In the Deep

**Yay, another chapter! :)**

**This one is all in Goblin Town and afterwards, so it's gonna be slightly condensed in some places cuz I didn't want to re-write every single thing :P**

**Enjoy! :)**

**.**

On and on down a network of bridges were the Dwarves led through in the place they soon realized was Goblin Town. The foul little demons were not very gentle as they pushed them along the way. All of their weapons had been taken from them. They soon came to a larger cave filled with goblins on many platforms and balconies that ascended high up into the mountain, all screeching and hollering as they arrived. The Dwarves all looked on in disgust at the creatures surrounding them.

Down at the end of the long bridge, seated upon a huge wooden throne, was the largest—and, by far, the ugliest—goblin of them all: the Goblin King. He was a very overweight creature with a bulbous goiter of a chin dressed in only a loincloth, which the Dwarves thought he lacked the physical physique to be wearing just that. On his head was a crown of leather and spikes and in his hand he held a long wooden staff with a large skull of a goat at the tip.

As the company was brought before the Goblin King and their confiscated weapons were cast at his feet, he stepped off of his throne and demanded, "Who would be so bold as to come armed into _my_ kingdom?" He overlooked the prisoners, who were all glaring up at him. "Spies?! Thieves?! Assassins?!" he questioned loudly.

"Dwarves, your Malevolence," answered the goblin at the head of the horde.

"Dwarves?"

"We found them on the front porch!"

"Well, don't just stand there! Search them! Every crack, every crevice."

The Dwarves all growled and resisted as the vile creatures started to claw and grab at them again. They did not like these little ugly monsters touching them. One of them took Oin's ear trumpet and smashed it with its foot.

"What are you doing in these parts?" the Goblin King demanded. The only answer he received from the Dwarves were angry grimaces. "Speak!" he demanded. Still silence. "Very well. If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk!" This declaration caused every goblin in the hall to cheer and screech as he ordered, "Bring up the mangler! Bring up the bone-breaker! Start with the youngest!" He pointed down to Ori, who was wide-eyed and afraid.

"Wait!" Thorin cried out.

He had shouted so quickly, he almost didn't realize it. It had been an instinctual reaction, which he regretted for only a second. He had heard the words "the youngest" and reacted, thinking, _"Aira is the youngest!"_ But the moment he cried out, he remembered…Aira was no longer with them.

Even though he had thought of Aira for a second, Thorin still wasn't going to let any of these inferior creatures harm anyone in his company. He had to protect them.

He stole a glance at Kili standing next to him. It was clear from the look in his nephew's eyes that they both had thought the same thing at the Goblin King's last comment and the pain from the young Dwarf's heartache was returning to him. Thorin recalled Dwalin's words to him from earlier that night, telling him that he had to be there for his nephews, Kili especially. Thorin gave his nephew a firm yet comforting stare that said, _"Be strong, Kili. Everything will be all right," _before turning to face the Goblin King and stepping forward to the front.

"Well, well, well…look who it is," the oversized Goblin pointed out. "Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror…King Under the Mountain!" He gave an exaggerated, dramatized bow in "respect" to the Dwarf King.

Thorin was not amused in the least by his so-called performance.

It didn't last before the Goblin King straightened up and exclaimed, "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain…and you're not a King…which makes you…_nobody_, really."

Thorin was now fuming at the hideous monster who dared insult him in that way. The rest of the company wasn't taking too kindly to the comment either.

Just then the Goblin King grinned evilly down at him. "I know someone…who would pay a pretty price for your head," he said to him with a malevolent tone. "Just a head, nothing attached."

The Dwarves looked at each other and Thorin froze, wondering what the goblin was talking about.

"Perhaps you know of whom I speak," he continued. "An old enemy of yours…."

Unbelieving, Thorin's head lifted slowly, his eyes emanating with anger and a hint of fear as he realized who the goblin was speaking of.

Confirming his fears, the Goblin King said, "A pale Orc…astride a white Warg."

_"He's lying!"_ Thorin thought immediately. _"It's all a lie!"_ He lifted his head higher and stated darkly, "Azog the Defiler…was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago!"

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" the goblin asked before chuckling deviously. But then his eyes started to scan the crowd in front of him. "And where is the Dwarf girl, Telyna?"

"What…?" all the Dwarves asked each other, totally puzzled by the Goblin King's question.

"I was informed that there was a female Dwarf in your company by the name of Telyna," said the giant goblin. "The pale Orc wishes to claim her along with the head of Thorin!"

The Dwarves were still confused. What he was he talking about and why was he bringing it up? None of them knew a female Dwarf named Telyna.

However, Thorin was the only one who did.

He remembered that Telyna was Aira's mother. While he still didn't believe Azog was alive, he wondered why the pale Orc, if he actually was alive, would want a female Dwarf who had been dead for over seventy years. But it couldn't be possible. Azog had died of his wounds during the Battle of Azanulbizar, years before Telyna had passed away.

Or maybe it was the Goblin King who wanted her and was using the existence of the pale Orc as an excuse. But how would _he_ know of her? Telyna hadn't ever been to the Misty Mountains nor did she ever have any dealings with goblins.

_"Something is not right…,"_ Thorin thought agitatedly. None of this was sitting right with him, but he boldly looked the giant goblin in the eye and replied, "There is no female named Telyna here. We have no females amongst us."

The Goblin King just let out a "humph" and muttered, "What a pity." Then he turned to a tinier goblin on a pulley. "Send word to the pale Orc," he told the little creature. "Tell him I have found his prize…but there is no female Dwarf with them."

After the messenger left, the Goblin King once again ordered for his various torture machines to be brought up and used on the Dwarves.

Thorin looked over his shoulder at his companions. "Do not fear, my friends!" he said to them courageously. "We will find a way out of this."

"We know we will," replied Dwalin.

"We are not afraid, Uncle," Kili added.

It wasn't long until the torture mechanisms were brought up onto the platform and the Goblin King at that moment started to sing, very loud and extremely off-key,

_Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung,_

_You'll be beaten and battered; from racks you'll be hung!_

_You will die down here and never be found_

_Down in the deep of Goblin Town!_

Suddenly there was an ear-piercing screech as the head of the goblin horde tossed away in terror the sword he held in his claws to the ground. It was Orcrist.

The Goblin King had a very similar reaction as he observed the great sword and jumped back in fear to his throne, crushing some goblins underneath his giant feet. "I know that sword!" he shouted, terrified. "It is the Goblin-Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!"

The goblins grew angry and started to push and shove the Dwarves around while a couple other ones drew the whips they had on their belts and started slashing them at Thorin. Even through his armor, he could feel the sharp sting from the whips erupting down his backside as he was forced to his knees. He tried to stand back up again, but the force from the harsh blows only made him sink lower. He could hear the rest of the company shouting to him.

"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them!" he heard the Goblin King cry out to his minions. "Kill them all! Cut off his head!"

Thorin at that moment was tackled onto his back by more goblins and roughly pinned down. A scary-looking one jumped on top of him, holding a curved knife in his hand, ready to carry out the Goblin King's orders and remove the Dwarf's head.

He had reached his end; it was inevitable. Thorin had tried to fight back against the goblins, but they were stronger than they looked. He was in a position where he couldn't escape and now he was about to lose his head to the horrible monsters.

He realized that he was filling up with fear inside. He didn't want to die. There was much he had yet to do; he had a purpose to fulfill. He couldn't lose his life now. He couldn't have come all this way to have his journey end here, in this way.

Yet, in the midst of this moment of panic, recognizing that the hand of death was upon him, there seemed to be one thought that instilled a sliver of peace in his heart.

Airaním.

Very soon, he would be with her again; he would join his beloved daughter in death. After the devastating heartache he had suffered earlier, and was still enduring, he was almost ready to welcome death. He would also see his mother, his grandfather, possibly his father and his brother as well. Yes, it seemed selfish to want to abandon his quest and leave his companions and nephews now, but it appeared that there was no way out; he had no choice. But if it meant that, after dying, there would be someone waiting for him on the other side, then he would not fight.

But then, in the next instant, death was no longer an option for Thorin.

He gasped as the hall was illuminated by a flash of light and every goblin and Dwarf was blown down to the ground. The Goblin King's torture machines were destroyed and thrown off the platform. Just as soon as it had appeared, the bright light vanished and the lights of the torches lit up the hall again.

"Take up arms." ordered a familiar voice that Thorin was surprisingly relieved to hear.

It was Gandalf.

"Fight. Fight!"

Thorin just then regained his strength and threw the goblins that pinned him down off of him. The rest of the Dwarves, who were buried under the surviving goblins, all let out their battle cries and jumped to their feet, searching for their weapons and shoving every goblin out of the way.

As Gandalf lunged forward and started slashing at any oncoming goblins, the Goblin King recognized his sword also. "He wields the Foe-Hammer! The Beater, bright as daylight!" he cried.

Bofur, Bombur and Nori were the first three to find everyone else's weapons and started tossing them to their proper owners as a huge fight ensued between the goblins and the Dwarves.

Kili caught his sword and when he turned around, he found himself face to face with the leader of the goblin horde; the one who initiated the whipping inflicted upon Thorin and he was filled with anger towards the creature that had hurt and almost killed his uncle. He lunged forward and slashed at the goblin twice across the chest, letting out all of his anger, and then thrust his sword through the creature's abdomen, killing it.

Nori finally found Orcrist and jumped out of the way of the fight. He landed on the ground next to Thorin and called out to him just as he saw the Goblin King coming up behind him. Thorin drew his sword from its sheath and lifted it high to block the oncoming blow from the great goblin's staff. Surprisingly, the blade was so strong and powerful that it sent a great jolt of force as it deflected the blow, making the Goblin King stagger backwards, lose his balance and fall from the platform.

Once everyone's weapons were returned and a majority of the goblins on the platform were dealt with, Gandalf stepped forward and said, "Follow me! Quick!"

The Dwarves were quick to obey, following fast after the wizard as he yelled, "Run!"

They all moved as fast as they could down the vast system of bridges until, at one point, the company got separated into two groups. One kept following the main bridge while the other moved up a level.

Dwalin was at the head of the group down below, hacking away at oncoming goblins with his axes. He saw a line of them headed their way and thought of an idea. He turned to the Dwarves behind him and shouted, "Post!" He and the rest of them cut the ties to a wooden post next to them and lifted it under their arms. Then the burly Dwarf yelled, "Charge!" vigorously, his voice even cracking a little as they moved forward. Using the post, he and the Dwarves behind him knocked all the oncoming goblins off the bridge and out of their way before continuing to run.

On the bridge above them, Gandalf and the remaining Dwarves continued to fight and push onward. Thorin was fighting on another part of the bridge, twirling about and slashing at every goblin near him, beheading almost every other one. Balin, with his axe and sword combination weapon, was proving that his skills as a warrior had not yet deteriorated with his old age as he dexterously maneuvered his sword around him. Oin was swinging his fighting staff around and around above his head, taking out every goblin who tried to approach him.

Across the way, more goblins were swinging on ropes to get across the chasm to the other side. Thorin whipped around and saw that Dori and Nori were the ones standing closest to him. "Cut the ropes!" he cried out. Both the brothers cut the ropes that held the platform above them and Thorin followed suit. The platform then tilted over, blocking the goblins on the ropes and causing them to fall.

Elsewhere down below, Kili was starting to get shot at by goblin archers, but luckily he was able to deflect their arrows with his sword. He noticed a ladder next to him and instinctively grabbed it, using it as a shield.

_"If Aira were here, she definitely would've made some cheeky joke about this!"_ he thought to himself as he moved forward with the ladder.

The other Dwarves came up behind him and helped lower the ladder down, pushing the goblins in front of them backwards. Then they used the branch to close the gap in front of them on the bridge and they crossed over, joining back up with the rest of the company as they jumped down from the bridge above.

"Quickly!" said Gandalf.

They kept fighting their way through until they reached a platform that was suspended in midair. Kili, once everyone was on, swiftly cut the rope on one side, making the wooden ledge they stood on swing to the other side.

"Jump!" Dwalin shouted.

Only a couple of them were able to jump in time before the platform swung the other way. But it wasn't long before it swayed back and the rest were able to jump to other side. After hacking at the rope that held the platform up, Fili was the last to jump over and Thorin caught him quickly as he landed.

It seemed like they were running and fighting forever! Was there any way out of this filthy place, they all wondered as they continued to run and fight for their lives. As they all rounded a corner, Gandalf slammed the tip of his staff into a boulder hanging from the ceiling and made it fall to the ground. It started rolling down the path in front of them.

"Push!" commanded Dwalin as he and Thorin and a couple other Dwarves started pushing hard on the boulder to get it rolling faster as they followed it. It knocked off or flattened all the goblins coming their way until it fell off the edge of the cliff and the Dwarves continued to run. They kept going until they were almost sure they had lost the rest of the horde and were close to escaping.

But then they realized they were wrong as the Goblin King suddenly burst out from underneath the bridge and climbed up, blocking their way. Gandalf stood in front of the company to protect them.

"You thought you could escape me?" the Goblin King asked rhetorically. Angrily, he took a swing at Gandalf and the wizard jumped back. He tried again and this time made him stumble backwards. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" the goblin asked to taunt him.

Without hesitating, Gandalf reached up and jabbed the top of his staff into the Goblin King's eye, making him howl out in pain. While that distracted him, the wizard slashed Glamdring across the goblin's huge stomach and he shouted again as he dropped to his knees.

"That'll do it…," he stated, knowing he was defeated.

Then his life was ended as Gandalf thrust his sword out and sliced the Goblin King's neck. His dead body collapsed down on the bridge. However, the weight of his large body was putting a lot of weight on the weathered wood and suddenly the bridge broke and started falling alongside the mountain walls into the chasm below.

The Dwarves all clung to the wooden beams for dear life as the platform zoomed down the gorge, being tossed about while it ricocheted back and forth between the walls. The floor at the bottom came closer and closer until finally, the bridge landed roughly and some of the Dwarves, like Kili and Dwalin, fell off onto the ground. Gandalf had also fallen off. He crawled out of the rubble and got back up to his feet.

"Well, _that_ could've been worse!" Bofur stated in his normal optimistic way.

Then, as if on cue, the dead corpse of the Goblin King crashed down on top of the platform, squashing the Dwarves even more and making them all yell out, startled and in a little more pain than a second before.

"Haver!" cried Gloin.

"You've _got _to be joking!" Dwalin exclaimed, irritated at the coincidence that just happened.

Kili next to him was starting to lift himself off the ground when his eyes looked up and grew wide in panic at what he saw. "Gandalf!" he shouted in alarm.

There was a huge mass of goblins scrambling down the walls towards them, screeching and yelling at them.

Kili jumped up to his feet, turned around started to help Fili out from underneath part of the shattered platform.

Dwalin was helping Nori, who had been hit over the head with a fallen piece of wood and was now temporarily dazed from it, out of the wreckage when he saw the incoming horde. "There's too many! We can't fight them!" he said to the wizard.

"Only one thing will save us: daylight!" Gandalf said back. "Come on!" He twisted around to help lift Oin back up. "Here, on your feet."

Once all of the Dwarves were pulled safely out of the wreckage, they resumed their running. Gandalf led them through a tunnel until they could see sunlight shining in; they had found their exit.

* * *

The wizard ushered them all outside and they raced as fast as they could down the side of the mountain, putting enough distance between them and the entrance to Goblin Town, knowing the foul creatures wouldn't follow them outside. No one knew how long they had been in there, but it was now evening, judging by the sunset they could see in the distance.

Gandalf was counting the Dwarves out loud as they started to slow down and come up behind him. "Five…six…seven…eight…Bifur, Bofur, that's ten. Fili, Kili, that's twelve. And Bombur…that makes thirteen…where's Bilbo?" He started to look around. "Where is our Hobbit?"

All of the Dwarves scanned the area around them. They hadn't even noticed that Bilbo wasn't with them! Where was he? Where had he disappeared to? He was nowhere to be found.

"Where is our Hobbit?!" Gandalf asked again a little louder when he received no answer from them.

"Curse that Halfling!" Dwalin growled.

"Now he's lost? I thought he was with Dori!" said Gloin.

Dori turned and cried defensively, "Don't blame me!"

"Where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked him, getting more concerned.

Nori spoke up. "I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us."

"Then what happened exactly? Tell me!"

"I'll tell you what happened," Thorin responded in a deep voice, moving around so Gandalf could see him. Then he declared, aggravated, "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door." He looked up and stared at Gandalf. "We will not be seeing our _Hobbit_ again."

"That's not true!" Bofur protested before he could stop himself. He shrunk back a little when Thorin shot him a hard glare but went on to say, "If it's true that he's gone, I know that's not why he would have left."

"Then tell us what you think the real reason is," Thorin suggested, his tone a bit harsh.

"He tried to leave before the goblins captured us. He felt guilty for…for what happened to Aira…." He lowered his gaze, disheartened.

There was a sharp tug on Thorin's heart along with the rest of the Dwarves at the mention of her name as images of what had happened during the earlier storm on the mountain returned to their minds.

Gandalf almost didn't even notice that Aira wasn't there either. "Where _is_ Airaním…?" he asked the company hesitantly. "What happened to her?"

They hung their heads and remained silent. Gandalf knew that this was not good at all.

His worst fears were confirmed when Balin finally answered him sadly, "Aira is dead, Gandalf. We lost her back on the mountain when we were caught in the middle of a stone giant attack."

"She risked her life to save Bilbo," added Bofur. "He thought that her death was his fault…he felt responsible for causing her family much heartache and felt that it was best if he left."

Gandalf's expression saddened, shocked upon learning this news.

In hearing Bofur's explanation, Thorin could feel a slight twinge of guilt inside him mix with his already existing pain of loss. Hoping to shake it off, he said, "Whether that is the reason or not, Master Baggins is not coming back. He is long gone."

"No, he isn't."

Everyone gasped and all heads flipped around to see Bilbo standing behind them. Some of them, like Bofur, let out comforted sighs upon seeing that Bilbo was all right and that he hadn't abandoned them.

"Bilbo Baggins! I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Gandalf declared, sounding absolutely relieved to see him.

It pleased Bilbo to hear that as he clapped a smiling Balin heartily on the shoulder.

"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" said Kili, still surprised but glad to see him.

Then Fili asked curiously, "How on earth did you get past the goblins?"

"How, indeed…," Dwalin stated, a little suspicious.

Bilbo, in response, just let out a cheerful yet slightly nervous-sounding chuckle.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back," Gandalf said to try and throw off the Dwarves' suspicions.

Thorin, however, wasn't convinced. "It matters. I want to know…," His voice softened as he asked, "Why did you come back?"

Bilbo stared at Thorin for a moment. There was something he needed to say to the Dwarf King and now was the right time to let it out. "Look, I know you doubt me. I know—I know you always have," he started to say. "And you're right, I often think of Bag-End." He shrugged. "I miss my books…and my armchair and my garden. See, that's where I belong. _That's_ home. That's why I came back, because…."

He paused and looked around at all the other Dwarves before looking back at Thorin and stating in conclusion, "…you don't have one; a home. It was taken from you…but I will help you take it back, if I can."

He paused one more time and then added, "And while I already owe it to you to help…Aira saved my life and I will not let her have died in vain by leaving you all like I almost did before. I owe her and all of you that much."

The company had been humbled by Bilbo's sweet and genuine words. Even Thorin had to admit that his speech had had an effect on him. His guarded glare had diminished and he hung his head in shame. But then his eyes looked back up to the Hobbit, now softer and full of sympathy. Maybe he had underestimated Bilbo, after all….

Just then, they heard a distant, high-pitched noise. They all flinched at the sound.

"What is that noise?" asked Ori, his hand going straight to his slingshot on his belt.

They heard it again, this time it was louder and the sound repeated twice. It sounded like a shrill screech echoing in the air.

"It sounds like…a bird of some sort," answered Dori, looking around for the source of the call.

_"I think it was an owl!"_ Bifur said, in Khuzdul, as usual.

"Are there really any owls in these parts?" Gloin asked.

Then there was another sound they heard. This time, it was the regular, lower "hoo-ing" sound anyone would hear from an owl.

"There's another one!" exclaimed Dwalin.

"That one was different," Thorin pointed out, his eyes carefully scanning the trees.

Where were these sounds coming from? And why were they hearing two different owl calls? They didn't think those sorts of birds lived in this part of the mountains.

"We heard the first call twice and the second call just once…seems a bit strange," Balin said, stroking his beard and joining the other Dwarves in looking around for the birds.

Just then, Fili muttered, "Wait a minute…," and both he and Kili turned to each other, wide-eyed as they both had the same thought after hearing Balin's comment.

Owl calls…one of them being sounded twice…a different one being sounded only once…it was all too familiar.

Fili looked to his brother and gasped, "Hoot twice like a barn owl…."

"…and once like a brown owl," Kili finished, catching his breath.

Their shocking realization could only mean one thing….

"It can't be…!" Kili stated, unbelieving.

But then the next thing they heard was the sound of a loud howl; something the company was not pleased to hear at all.

Thorin raised his sword in defense and whispered, "Out of the frying pan…."

"And into the fire," Gandalf completed for him, both of them knowing the situation was about to get worse. Then he shouted, "Run. Run!"

And it was back to running for their lives. The sun had set down behind the mountain, so now they were running in the dark again. They could hear the growling Wargs coming down the mountain and they were catching up fast.

The creatures were soon upon them. Bilbo was charged by a lone Warg, but he was quick in drawing his sword and embedding it into the creature's skull. One tried to attack Balin, but Thorin intercepted it and both he and Dwalin stabbed it with their weapons while Ori took Nori's hammer and smashed one over the head behind him. Soon they found themselves at the edge of a cliff and there was nowhere else for them to go.

Gandalf had another idea. "Up into the trees! All of you!" he commanded hurriedly. "Come on, climb!" He motioned to Bilbo, who was falling behind, to hurry and climb the trees.

Bilbo struggled to pull his sword out from the head of the Warg he had just killed, but it didn't take him long and soon he joined the Dwarves, who were all swiftly jumping or pulling each other up into the trees to safety.

"They're coming!" Thorin cried, panicking.

It was just in the nick of time as the Wargs reached the trees at the bottom of the hill and started jumping on the trunks to try and reach the company in the different trees, but to no avail. They were all too high up. Unfortunately, they were all trapped.

"Hold on, brothers!" Gloin shouted.

But then, to their bewilderment, the Wargs stopped their attack and were silent. They all looked out to see a huge white Warg stepping forward on a raised boulder not far from where they were. It was clear that this Warg was the leader. Riding the Warg was a giant pale monster with a claw for a left hand.

In the closest tree, Thorin was shocked beyond belief. He knew this foul creature…one he believed to be dead.

"Azog!" he gasped, distressed upon seeing his enemy was still alive.

The white Warg growled loudly and Azog started to sniff the air. _"Do you smell it? The scent of fear?"_ he asked his other Orc followers behind him in their tongue before glaring back at Thorin.

Thorin just glared back, his eyes and expression hard as stone. Not that he and the other Dwarves could understand the Orcish language. They knew that Azog was just doing it to taunt them, naturally.

The pale Orc grew a sly, deviously evil grin on his face as he spoke again to the Dwarf King, _"I remember your father reeked of it…Thorin, son of Thrain."_

Apart from his own name, the one thing Thorin understood was the word "father" and he knew that was something he didn't want to hear. Did Azog have a part in Thrain's disappearance? He couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to believe now.

"It cannot be…!" he whispered in despair.

Azog let out a loud cackle before then turning to one of his lieutenants and ordering something in Orcish. The Orc behind him then led another Warg by a rope that had a hooded figure seated upon it. The pale Orc placed his good hand upon the back of the mysterious figure and shouted something to all the Dwarves they couldn't understand.

"He says he has something that belongs to you!" Gandalf translated.

The company all looked to each other in incomprehension, growing afraid of who he was about to reveal.

With another malevolent chuckle and a sharp, rough tug, Azog stripped the figure of the cloak, who groaned from the force of the pull, to reveal a head of auburn curls.

The Dwarves, the Hobbit and the wizard all gasped in pure and utter shock.

It was Aira...she was alive and in the clutches of Azog, the Defiler.

.

**DUN DUN DUNNN! :O**

**I must say, all of your guesses about Aira were all good and pretty clever...but now the cat's out of the bag!**

**The full truth of what happened to Aira will be revealed in a later chapter!**

**Reviews and PM's are appreciated, as always :)**

**PS: In case anyone didn't see the author's note I posted before removing it to post this chapter, I now have a Thorin/OC story up and in the works called "Love Is Patient", if you're interested :)**


	30. What Doesn't Kill You

**This, to me, is an important chapter that I've been dying to write for a long time, so I wanted to get it written and get this story updated really quickly, even though it's not quite my favorite scene in the movie...and I'm sure you all can guess why ;P**

**But I will warn you...this is going to be slightly violent at first (I hate writing violence, at least the kind you'll read about, so I tried to keep it toned down as best I could yet still realistic) It's also going to be **_**VERY **_**emotional. **

**So, oh Mahal, I hope you're all ready! xP**

**.**

"Aira!"

Everyone in the company started crying out her name at the sight of her; Thorin, Fili and Kili, especially, astonished beyond comprehension. While they all were relieved, at least, to see she was in fact alive, that relief was overcome by fear and worry seeing her in the situation she was in. Azog had her in his possession and they were all filled with fright and anger as they awaited what the pale Orc was going to do. They couldn't get down to try and save her, there were still Wargs down on the ground. They were trapped. There was nothing they could do but watch and wait fearfully.

Azog grew curious about something and he turned back to Aira, whose expression remained stone cold and somber. _"They call you 'Aira'…,"_ he said to her quietly, his deep, growling voice rumbling close to her ear and making her jump, _"…and yet, you told me your name was Telyna. I think you have been keeping something from me, slave girl."_ He started to tauntingly stroke her hair with his giant hand.

"Get your hands off of her!" Aira heard Kili shout angrily.

Then she flinched and jerked her head back from his hand, looked at Azog in disgust and spat at him in the Orc language, _"Let them go, you monster!"_

But he didn't seem to hear her. _"I know that young Dwarf who just cried out is of the line of Durin, as well,"_ he sneered._ "You seem of great importance to him and to the Dwarf King…why is that so…Aira?"_

Aira shuddered as he snidely hissed her name into her ear, hating just hearing him say it. His large, rough hand ran down the side of her face and down to her neck. She shivered, repulsed at his touch. Her hands were tied, so she couldn't stop him. Her jaw was clenched tight, trying to keep herself from screaming.

_"Why would a simple Dwarf girl be of any significance to the King?"_ Azog asked out loud, watching his hand run down her neck and enjoying the repulsion he was causing her. Then his fingertips touched something cold and thin and he felt Aira freeze. His hand clasped what he touched: a chain. Forcefully, he pulled the chain up from under her shirt and yanked her head forward so he could see what was on the end of the chain.

_"Oh, no…!"_ Aira thought in panic.

The Orc's white eyes widened as he observed the discs with the royal emblems on her necklace, recognizing them immediately. He let out a comprehending sigh and turned his head ever so slowly to look back at the Dwarves in the trees, his face beaming with malevolence. He could see how agitated they were becoming because of what he was doing to Aira and the fact they couldn't understand anything that was being said.

_"__You__ are of the house of Durin, as well; adopted into it, so I see,"_ Azog muttered to Aira while still keeping his eyes on the Dwarves, mainly Thorin. _"How quaint…!"_ Then his hand wrenched hard on the chain and it snapped from around Aira's neck. With a loud growl, Azog ruthlessly threw her necklace as far away as he could.

"No!" Aira cried out in pain as she watched her most treasured possession disappear. Now the necklace her family had given her and had never left her neck; the one constant reminder she owned of home and her family was gone.

She choked out an emotional gasp and tears started to fall from her eyes, but then she was cut short as Azog's hand suddenly grasped hard and tight around her throat.

"No! Let her go!" Thorin yelled, growing furious at the pale Orc for daring to lay a hand on Aira. Being up in the tree and just witnessing everything was eating him alive and he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get down and save her.

He started to shift down from the branch he stood on, but Balin grabbed him by the shoulder and exclaimed, "Thorin, don't!"

"Balin, that is my daughter down there being held captive by a beast that should not even be breathing! You can't expect me to just stay here!"

"You _must_ or you will be endangering Aira's life! Azog is doing this to taunt you; this is what he wants. Don't give in to him. He will surely kill you if you go down and try to save Aira and he will not hesitate to kill her, too."

Thorin's jaw tightened in anger, frustrated at the fact that Balin was right. He wanted more than anything to kill Azog and rescue Aira from the monster's clutches, but there was no way he could without getting _himself_ killed first.

Just then he heard Azog yell out his name again, followed by something in the Orc tongue, understanding only the names "Durin" and "Aira" as he listened. Whatever it was, it sounded nothing less than unsavory.

Thorin called over his shoulder, "Gandalf, what did he say?"

The wizard hesitated before answering fretfully, "He said, 'the line of Durin will end tonight…after I make you watch your precious Aira suffer at _my_ hand.'"

Before Thorin or anyone else could react to this threat, Azog acted upon it. His hand grabbed the back of Aira's neck and he threw her off of the Warg she was on. She landed onto the ground in front of him face first and she groaned loudly. Not a second after she had landed, another Orc came up behind Azog, took his mace and placed a long, spiked leather whip into his good hand.

"No!" Thorin cried as the pale Orc raised his arm.

With a roar, Azog thrust the whip forward where it made contact with Aira's back with a deafening "snap" and she doubled over to the ground.

"AIRA!" both Fili and Kili screamed, horrified. Like their uncle, they wanted to jump down and stop the pale Orc, but there were Wargs still at the base of the trees. Immediately, tears of pain filled their eyes as they watched Azog whip Aira again even harder. Seeing their best friend getting tortured was tearing their hearts apart; seeing this was torturing _them_.

For a third time, the whip cracked down upon Aira's body. It stunned the company that, as this was happening, she wasn't yelping in pain. She was down there biting down on her tongue so hard, she thought she would draw blood. Her back was on fire and wet from the blood she could feel seeping into her clothes and down her sides. While the pain that coursed through her entire body was excruciating, she knew Azog wanted to hear her scream, but she was not going to give in, despite how much she wanted to; she was _not_ going to give that beast the satisfaction. She was stronger now than what she used to be. She was able to withstand his attempts to tear a cry of torment from her throat.

Over and over again, the Defiler lashed at the Dwarf girl and the company's endless screams of terror and anguish continued.

"Aira!"

"No!"

"We'll kill you for this!"

"Stop it, you monster!"

"Let her go!"

"You'll pay for this!"

Witnessing her torture was unbearable. All of the Dwarves and Bilbo had tears running down their faces.

To their relief, Azog finally stopped…but it was not to last.

He stared down at the limp, panting Dwarf girl, agitated that she wouldn't scream even once, but also admiring his work. There were multiple jagged gashes that criss-crossed around her entire back. The girl's shirt had been ripped and shredded from the spikes of the whip, revealing more of her tarnished flesh, discolored and tainted dark red with her blood.

Not quite satisfied, he let out a growl, reached down, grabbed her by the hair and slowly lifted her back up, twisting her back around to face him and making her grunt loudly. Then, without warning, he reached over his Warg's head, snarled and shoved his claw straight into her side.

That finally ripped an agonizing scream from her along with every member of the company.

Azog ripped his claw back out and threw Aira off the rock they were standing on and down into the dirt. Since her hands were bound, she couldn't brace her fall and she landed hard on her side that had just been stabbed and she groaned as the pain shot through her torso. Once again, she could feel blood trickling out of her wound and down her side, sticking to her clothes and skin. If anything, she was at least grateful it wasn't the side that had been injured a week previous.

Taking his mace back and pointing it up at Thorin, Azog cried out to the Wargs, _"That one is mine…kill the others!"_

"No!" shouted Aira as the Wargs ran and jumped over her towards the trees to attack.

The giant dog-like creatures started jumping and throwing themselves into the tree trunks, grabbing the branches with their sharp jaws and snapping them clean off. The trees were shaking and everyone in the company, shouting and grunting, clung to the branches they stood on as tightly as they could to keep themselves from falling from all the shaking. It was beginning to prove difficult for them as the Wargs pushed harder on the trees each time they jumped.

_"Drink their blood!"_ Azog called sinisterly.

Aira turned her head and yelled intensely, once again in Orcish, _"If any of them die, Azog, I will destroy you!"_

_"I will get great pleasure in seeing you try,"_ Azog slyly replied.

Aira heard grave shouts and gasped in fright when she saw the trees closest to her being uprooted and falling backwards. They continued to fall one right after the other and the Dwarves were all jumping and throwing themselves to the next tree until they all were safe in one remaining tree at the very edge of the cliff.

She exhaled sharply, realizing that she had been holding her breath, as she heard Azog cackling insidiously. What were they going to do? Now they were surely trapped!

However, over in the tree, Gandalf once again came to rescue with his quick wit. He grabbed a nearby pinecone and, using his staff, set it alight with fire. Once that was done, he threw it down with all his might at the Wargs below, setting the grass and bushes on fire around them. Within seconds he had other pinecones covered with fire and dropped them down to the Dwarves below. First to Fili, who helped Bilbo with his pinecone, then to Kili and Dori and then the rest. Soon there were many balls of flame raining down upon the creatures, frightening them until they were forced to flee to avoid getting burned.

Aira chuckled haughtily as she watched the Wargs run away and heard Azog shout in anger. She looked towards the tree where she could hear her companions shouting and laughing in triumph.

_"Those are __my__ clever lads!"_ she thought with great pride in her company.

But then, all of a sudden, the tree they all were on started uprooting itself and was falling backwards off the cliff. Luckily it stopped partway, but the company wasn't in any less danger. Aira's heart stopped as she lay on the ground, fearing for the lives of her friends.

Over on the tree, Thorin glanced down in anxiety from the branch he was holding onto at his companions. Both Ori and Dori had lost hold of the tree, but Dori caught onto Gandalf's staff while his younger brother dangled in the air from one of his legs. Thorin caught sight of his nephews and was thankful that they seemed to be all right, along with the rest of them.

Feeling slightly relieved, he glanced back up and found himself locking his gaze with Azog, the Defiler just yards away.

That was his worst mistake.

All sense of self-control and common sense disappeared once he realized he was at ground level and could finally get to the pernicious beast that had inflicted so much emotional destruction upon him. The Defiler had slain his grandfather, was quite possibly involved in the disappearance of his father and had captured and brutally tortured his daughter before his very eyes.

_That_ was what sent him over the edge. His heart had been ripping itself apart as he watched Aira be beaten and whipped mercilessly. The pain of his failure to protect her had grown too severe along with the overwhelming anger and hate he had for the creature who devised it to torment him. Now, he was surely going to kill that monster…and this time, he would aim for his head!

Consumed, fueled and blinded by his rage and long-awaited need for revenge, Thorin boldly got to his feet, lifting Orcrist and his oakenshield and began to slowly run down the trunk of the flaming tree, speeding up his pace the further down he went. Whether it was to charge and face the pale Orc or to save Aira, even Thorin himself didn't know for he was not thinking straight from his abundance of hatred thundering through his mind.

Aira grew full of fear as she saw Thorin come charging down the tree in her direction, raising his sword as he drew closer. It almost seemed to be happening in slower motion. She was afraid of how this was going to turn out.

Her worst fears came to life once she heard Azog let out a roar and he and his Warg soared above her head towards Thorin.

"NOOO!"

The Warg's giant paws collided with Thorin's head and the Dwarf King collapsed onto his back, gasping to regain his breath from the force of the hit.

Now it was Aira's turn to be tormented; to watch someone she loved be hurt and beaten in front of her. Her heart was beating furiously inside her and started increasing in rhythm when she saw Azog turning his Warg back around.

But she knew Thorin wasn't going to give up so easily and, sure enough, he was getting himself back up to try again.

"No, Thorin, don't!" Aira yelled to warn him, but it was no use. Azog rode right next to him and swung his stone mace right into Thorin's chest, the harsh force driving him backwards into the dirt. A scream and a choked sob escaped Aira's lips as terrified, sorrowful tears dispelled from her wide brown eyes. She heard Balin cry out off in the distance. She struggled to free her hands from her bonds, but they were too tightly wrapped around her wrists.

Her inner suffering only worsened when the white Warg suddenly clamped its giant jaw over Thorin's upper body, sinking its teeth deep into his flesh through his armor, and he let out an awful, anguished scream.

Aira sobbed and wept even more as the Warg drove its teeth deeper into him. She felt so helpless, it was agonizing. Thorin was being killed before her eyes and it was slowly killing _her_ to watch and listen to his painful screams.

To her surprise, Thorin then was able to muster enough strength to slam the hilt of his sword right into the Warg's snout and the creature swung its head and released its hold on him, sending him flying through the air.

"THORIN!" Aira shrieked horribly as Thorin flew and landed roughly on a rock close to where she was. She waited for him to get back up, but he remained still and motionless, which now gravely worried her.

_"Bring me the Dwarf's head,"_ she heard Azog say behind her to another Orc.

Terrified, Aira thrashed about, trying to crawl over to Thorin with her hands tied together, ignoring the pain in her back and side. That didn't matter to her. What mattered was getting to Thorin, fearing that this could very well be her last moment with him.

She saw his head turn, wincing as he did so, and their gazes met.

"Thorin…!" Aira sobbed, extending out her hands as far as she could to him.

"Aira…," he replied weakly as he reached out to her.

Their hands found each other and their fingers locked tightly together, holding on as if their lives depended on it…which, this time, it did.

Thorin gripped her hand firmly as his sapphire eyes met her dark brown eyes that were full of horror. He was greatly relieved that she had survived her fall from the mountain and that she was alive, but in his eyes, there was deep sadness that he was about to meet his end and she would have to witness it. Aira, his daughter; the light of his life was there with him. In knowing that, he knew there was one last thing he had to do.

He spoke the one phrase that nearly broke Aira's heart:

"I love you…."

Her eyes exploded with tears of pain and sorrow. The three words he had never said to her all her life, even though she never had to hear them to know it was true, and he finally had spoken them. If he had said that at any other point in time, she would've been happy and cried tears of joy…but that was not to be so in that moment. The Orc was approaching and was about to take his life. He had said that as his final words to her.

She was sobbing so hard, she couldn't find the strength to say anything back. All she could do was hold onto his hand as securely as possible.

In seconds, the Orc was beside them and he lowered his weapon just above Thorin's neck, readying it for the killing blow. Thorin struggled to reach for his sword with his other hand, but it was out of his reach. His doom was upon him.

"Turn your eyes, Airaním…," he sighed in a whisper, not wishing for her to see the horror that was about to happen.

Her gaze drifted up as the Orc raised its blade over its head.

Aira grasped Thorin's hand as firmly as she could, buried her face in her shoulder and cried, "Father, NO!"

There was a loud yell and the sound of a thud close to her. Aira's head shot up and saw, to her astonishment, Bilbo and the Orc tumbling down to the ground. The Hobbit raised his glowing blue sword and shoved it straight down into the Orc's abdomen, killing it instantly.

"Bilbo!" she gasped, overly relieved.

But then she felt Thorin's grip on her hand lessen and she realized that he had lost consciousness.

Bilbo jumped forward, cut the bonds on Aira's wrists and then positioned himself in front of both her and Thorin, protecting them from Azog.

Aira moved over by the unconscious Dwarf King and took his head in her hands. "Thorin!" she cried, gently shaking him.

He didn't stir.

"Thorin!" she repeated even louder and more desperate.

Still, he didn't respond.

She clutched his head close to her chest and gently cradled it as she begged softly, "No, no, you can't do this! You can't die! Your company needs you…your nephews need you…_I _need you…!" She was crying harder now and held him closer. "Come back, don't leave me! I have already lost one father; I won't lose you, too! You can't leave me fatherless…!"

Aira stopped as something dawned on her. Before she thought the Orc was about to kill Thorin, she had called him "Father" before turning away. She almost didn't even realize she had done that. Even though she always thought of him as a father, she had never once called him that.

But now she knew why she had done so: because Thorin truly was her father.

It all seemed so clear to her now. Even though her real father was dead and had only raised her for the first six years of her life, Thorin had taken care of her for well over forty years before she left the Blue Mountains. He had done so much for her. He had been the one to teach her how to use a sword and ride her first pony; all sorts of important things like that. He had been the one she turned to for everything. He had been the inspiration for Aira to become the brave, strong Dwarf-woman that she was; the role model and parental figure that she had admired since she was a small child. He had been there for her through her entire life, even since her birth! He had always been more than just her surrogate father.

Rimedur may have been Aira's father by blood, but Thorin Oakenshield was her father by bond and by love…and he always had been.

Aira was overcome by so many emotions as she leaned her forehead down against Thorin's. Then she whispered, praying that somehow he could hear her, "You are my father, Thorin Oakenshield…my _true_ father…and I love you."

Just as she said that, she heard Azog say, _"Kill him,"_ and she knew he was referring to Bilbo.

She gently laid Thorin's head back down, took up Orcrist from the ground and jumped forward next to Bilbo, ready to help him fight the Wargs that were slowly approaching them.

There was another shout and suddenly Kili, Fili and Dwalin all appeared before them, slashing and hacking at the Wargs, their minds set on protecting Thorin, Bilbo and Aira.

Seeing that they no longer had to fight alone, both Aira and Bilbo lunged forward and joined in the fight.

Aira spotted an Orc close to her and saw that her confiscated sword was strapped to its Warg's saddle. "I'll take that back!" she snapped as she thrust Orcrist into the Orc's side before it could react and then sliced down the Warg's neck, killing them both.

After hurriedly putting the sword back on her belt, she unsheathed it and whirled around as another Warg jumped behind her, slashing both hers and Thorin's weapons through its chest.

Just then, Bilbo was pushed to the ground beside her and Azog was closing in on him. Naturally, Aira put herself between the Hobbit and the pale Orc, both swords raised and ready to fight him if necessary. She gave Azog a hard, warning glare and he simply grinned devilishly at her.

Just when she thought he was about to attack her, there was shrill screech in the air. Aira looked up just as a giant eagle swooped down and took a handful of Orcs and Wargs in its talons and dropped them over the edge of the cliff. She and Bilbo both gasped, stunned.

The Great Eagles had come to the company's aid; pushing down trees on their foul attackers or fanning the flames with their wings or just tossing them over the cliff. It was a miracle!

Aira noticed Fili and Kili staring up at something behind her. She whipped her head around to see an eagle taking Thorin carefully into its talons and lifting him up into the sky, out of harm's way.

She heaved a sigh of relief. "Go, Father…," she whispered, thankful that he was safe now.

An eagle was starting to fly towards her. However, she was not yet finished, so she jumped out of the way so the bird caught Bilbo instead, who had been grabbing at something in the grass before being taken up in the air.

Aira turned back and faced the pale Orc, returning the same devilish grin he had given her moments before. Then she darkly said to him in his language, _"Your plan has failed, Azog. You underestimated them and, most of all, __me__. If I __ever__ see your horrific face again; if you ever try to harm any of my friends or family again, I will slay you on sight myself!"_

"Aira!"

Up above, an eagle was flying over Aira's head with Fili and Kili on its back. Kili was leaning as far as he could over the side with his hand extended out to her.

She took a couple steps back and jumped with all her strength at the right moment, seizing Kili's arm and holding on tight as the eagle took to the air with them. As both the brothers pulled her up, Aira could hear Azog's furious roar back on the mountain that was now behind them, now that all of the company was being flown to safety.

.

**Hopefully I didn't kill anyone with this chapter... :P**

**Next is Carrock and there will be another important part there too :)**

**Leave a review or send me a PM if you have any thoughts are comments! They are very much appreciated, as always :)**


	31. Reunions and Sealings

**Never fear, my dears, an update is here!**

**(Holy crap, that all rhymed...and sounded so freakin' corny! :P lol)**

**This is yet another special chapter for me :) There are parts here and there I'm not entirely happy with, but I think they'll suffice!**

**By the way, there will be a very important author's note at the end, so please read that, too!**

**Enjoy! :D**

**.**

Once she was hoisted up onto her knees on the eagle's back, the two pairs of strong arms that held onto Aira pulled her into their really tight embrace; Fili and Kili both buried their faces in either side of her neck, quietly weeping and gasping. Aira winced for a second as her back stung from their firm hold on her, but to her, the pain felt good. She was with her best friends again; the physical pain she felt couldn't overcome her inner happiness.

"Aira, you're all right!" Fili cried, gripping her even tighter.

"Thank Mahal, you're alive!" Kili added in a choked voice.

The brothers pulled back and realized that they had a little amount of blood on their hands. They remembered the whipping and looked at her bloody, cut-up back and their eyes widened with worry.

"Aira, you're hurt, badly!" exclaimed Fili.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Aira said casually. "The pain is not bothering me, not anymore now that I'm with you two again." Then she chuckled. "Besides, it would take more than falling from a mountain and a few whippings from an Orc for you to get rid of me!"

Kili took Aira's face in his hands. As the wind blew back his dark locks, she could see overwhelming gladness with a slight touch of remaining pain in his eyes.

"We never want to be rid of you, Aira," he stated firmly. "_Never_!"

Having his beloved back in his arms, he did not hesitate to pull her to him and smother her lips with his own desperately. There was so much need, relief and frantic longing in his passionate kiss which she returned with just as much feeling. They both were consumed with joy in being together again.

Fili, to his surprise, wasn't bothered by that at all. In fact, he found himself grinning from ear to ear as he watched them kiss each other. His brother was reunited with his true love and Fili could literally see Kili's happiness returning to him. It was the same for Aira; she was with _her_ true love again after going through an awful ordeal. It made _him_ happy to see the both of them happy, especially after the state Kili had been in the previous night.

Aira and Kili broke apart and wrapped their arms around each other. "I thought I'd lost you forever!" gasped Kili.

Aira exhaled loudly and cried out, "I love you, Kili!"

"I love _you_, Aira! I love you so much!" Kili replied, his voice starting to break again as he tried his hardest to hold back his tears.

Then Aira pulled back and shifted closer to Fili, letting out a small cry as she threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, Fili!" she told him, this time in a very brother-sisterly way.

Fili hugged her back and realized just really how glad he was to have her back. "I love you, too, Aira."

"Back on the mountain, before the Wargs came…we heard our childhood call…that was you, wasn't it?" Kili asked Aira.

She nodded.

"You used it to warn us."

Aira nodded again.

"How were you able to do that when you were captured?" asked Fili.

"I wasn't gagged or anything, I could still use my mouth," Aira replied a bit cynically. "Azog, his riders and I came to the top of the hill and immediately, I saw all of you down below. Azog didn't notice, at first, and was looking around. I took that as an opportunity to send you a warning. I knew that, if anyone would know those owl calls and understand them, you two would! Azog saw what I was doing right away and he silenced me, but not before I finished the call in time as he sent the Wargs down after you. And it seems my planned worked."

Both the brothers glanced at her endearingly, impressed.

"You are one clever Princess!" exclaimed Kili, taking her hand in his.

"How did you survive your fall? And how did Azog find you and get to you?" Fili then inquired.

Aira lowered her eyes. "I'd rather save those answers for a later time," she answered in a low tone. "I think the others should know, too." Then, while thinking about the others, her eyes suddenly grew huge and she gasped, "Thorin!"

Fili and Kili's expressions changed to match hers as they remembered their injured uncle. The three young Dwarves worriedly scanned the sky around them for the eagle that carried Thorin. They saw the one they were looking for was flying ahead of them.

"Thorin!" Fili shouted frantically, but there was no response. Thorin remained still and unmoving in the eagle's talons.

_"Oh, Durin and Mahal, please let him live!"_ Aira prayed pleadingly to the heavens before letting her head fall onto Kili's chest.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. After placing a gentle kiss in her hair, Kili reassured her, "He'll be all right. Uncle Thorin is too stubborn to let death beat him yet."

"He'll pull through," Fili added, gently rubbing Aira's lower back.

"He has to…!" Aira sighed.

* * *

The eagles carried the company through the skies for what felt like hours, soaring over miles and miles of beautiful, breathtaking landscapes beneath them. Very soon, they came upon a giant, tower-like rock structure in the middle of a rocky valley and it was clear that the eagles were going to set the members of the company down on this rock.

Fili, Kili and Aira noticed that Thorin was the first one to be set down, followed by Gandalf and then Bilbo. They were next and once they were close enough, all three of them jumped right off their eagle's back onto the rock and rushed to Thorin's side where Gandalf was kneeling over him and muttering something under his breath.

Then Thorin's still form took a breath and he opened his eyes. Great sighs of relief were heard from every member of the company.

He looked up with tired eyes at Gandalf and asked, "The Halfling? Aira?"

"It's all right," said Gandalf. "Bilbo and Aira are here. They're quite safe." He twisted around and gestured to where Bilbo was standing away from the rest of the Dwarves.

Thorin started to move to get himself up, but was having a little trouble due to his injury, so both Dwalin and Kili stepped forward, grabbed him underneath his arms and helped hoist him up.

Once he was up on his feet, Thorin shoved them away, looked at Bilbo and growled out, "You!"

Bilbo had been looking so glad to see that Thorin was all right after everything that happened, but that emotion was starting slip away just after that one word.

"What were you doing?" the injured Dwarf demanded, his eyes wide with surprise. "You nearly got yourself killed!" He started to walk slowly towards the Hobbit, wincing in pain with every step, and stated in a low voice, filled with contempt, "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? And you had no place amongst us?"

Bilbo's head started to lower and he looked rather upset.

Aira, off to the side, buried her face in her hands and whispered to herself, "No, Thorin, please…don't do this." Bilbo had saved his life and yet there still was this feeling of disdain he had towards the dear fellow! How could Thorin still be like that? Aira just couldn't understand it.

But then he did something that surprised her along with everyone else.

Thorin suddenly cried out, "I have never been so wrong…in all my life!" Then he walked right up to Bilbo and pulled him into a tight, thankful embrace, making the stunned Hobbit's eyes go wide.

Everyone else smiled at cheered at this happy sight. Aira could feel herself starting to choke up and she wrapped her arms around Kili's waist. It was so sweet to see that Thorin was finally beginning to see Bilbo's true worth as a member of the company and as a person.

When Thorin and Bilbo pulled apart, Thorin looked him over to make sure he didn't hurt him and then said softly, "I am sorry I doubted you."

Bilbo shook his head. "No, I would've doubted me, too," he replied.

Aira couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"I'm not a hero or a warrior…," he went on. Then he stole a look at Gandalf and said, "…not even a burglar."

Just then, Thorin straightened up, started looking around and cried anxiously, "Airaním! Where is Aira?"

"I'm here," she answered. She was standing behind Fili and Kili and they both stepped to the side so she could move through.

Their gaze locked and they stared at each other gladly for a moment. After everything that had happened back on the mountain, thinking that they were in their last moments together, they were both so overjoyed that they were all right and alive. Smiles of happiness began to slowly inch upward on both their faces and tears came to their eyes.

Aira let out a cry and jumped right into Thorin's open arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close and she threw her own around his neck, both of them laughing and crying as Thorin picked Aira up and spun her around.

No one in the company dared say a word. They knew this was a precious moment and simply stood off to the side, smiling and chuckling pleasantly to themselves, and watched.

Thorin then set Aira back down, both their faces wet with happy tears. He cupped her face in his hands and started smothering joyous kisses all over her face; on her cheeks, eyelids, nose and forehead while she just giggled gaily from his beard lightly tickling her face, ending with a hard kiss in her hair.

He took her back into his unyielding embrace and exclaimed in a soft, emotional voice, "Oh, my dear Aira! Thank Durin you're safe!"

"And thank Durin you're alive!" Aira said back to him. "I was so afraid we'd lost you!"

All of the other Dwarves, now reassured that their leader was all right, started to crowd around Aira, hugging and embracing her fondly. They were glad to see that she too was alive and all right and now they all finally had a moment to express it.

After embracing all of her dear friends, Aira's gaze drifted to Bilbo behind them, smiling brightly. "Bilbo Baggins!" she cried out as she stepped forward, bent over and hugged him. "You, my friend, are the most valiant little fellow I have ever met! What you did for Thorin and for me was so brave; I don't know how I can thank you!"

Bilbo just grinned and shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. I did what I knew was right." Then he leaned closer to her and whispered, "And besides, you saved _my_ life before, so now we're even."

Aira grinned at him.

Then his eyes widened. "Oh, and I think you'll be needing this," he exclaimed, reaching into his pocket. He fumbled around for a second and then proceeded to pull out a silver chain.

"My necklace!" Aira gasped as Bilbo placed the necklace with the discs of the Durin family emblems in her palm. She had thought her most prized possession was lost after Azog had thrown it away from her. She clutched it firmly in her hand and then gaped with stunned eyes at Bilbo, who was smiling proudly. "How did you…?"

"I spotted it on the ground next to me when the eagles arrived and I recognized it. I managed to grab it just before one of them picked me up."

"Oh, Bilbo, thank you!" Aira shouted as she hugged him again and kissed his cheek gratefully.

"May I?" asked Thorin's voice behind her.

Aira turned and noticed him holding out a hand towards her, looking at her kindly with his piercing blue eyes. She smiled gladly, knowing what he wanted. She lowered the chain into his open hand and then turned back around as he gently brushed her hair over one of her shoulders. Smiling, Thorin lifted the unchained necklace over her head, placed it around her neck and clasped the ends together.

Her fingers lifted and clasped the discs tightly as she felt their familiar weight resting against her chest. Everything suddenly felt right as she fingered the discs lightly between her fingertips, thinking of everything it meant to her. It was the physical reminder that she would forever have a family and a home; a place where she belonged and a group of loving people she belonged with. Now that she had it back around her neck and held above her heart, she felt complete again.

Then she felt Thorin's hands grip her shoulders. Aira turned and caught him smiling at her in a way she had not seen in so many years: so full of bliss and relief. Thinking back to the events back on the mountain, she felt so thankful that things hadn't gone the way she had thought. He had almost been killed right in front of her and it was one of the most terrifying moments of her life. She had almost lost the only other Dwarf that she could call a father. But fate was kind to both of them and spared his life, giving them yet another chance. In seeing Thorin smile at her the way he was, Aira graciously thanked the gods in her mind for sparing him and then smiled just as brightly back at him.

They were both so happy at that moment; they didn't think it could get any better.

The eagles were all starting to fly off and every head turned to watch them soar away into the distance. But then Thorin's head lifted up and his eyes widened in surprise as he spotted something in the distance. Aira noticed this and turned to see what he was looking at. She spotted it right away.

"Is that…what I think it is?" she asked out loud.

Thorin let go of her shoulders and started walking forward to the edge of the rock with Aira right behind him. The company had all heard Aira's question and looked back to see for themselves what she had seen, following Thorin as he kept walking.

Thorin's lips curled up blissfully as he found himself looking upon a familiar sight.

"Erebor," stated Gandalf. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great Dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth."

A gasp of amazement escaped Aira's lips as she gazed out at the far-off mountain that stood tall against the pink morning sky. There it was: the wondrous mountain kingdom she had only ever heard and dreamt of. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. If it was that beautiful from a distance, she could only imagine what it would be like up close!

She felt Thorin grab her hand, grasp it tightly, and heard him whisper with great joy and pride, "Our home." He continued to stare off in the distance, lifting his head nobly and proudly upon seeing his beloved home once again.

Just then, there was the twittering of a bird and Oin called out, "A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain."

A small bird flew over their heads and they all watched as it flew off in the direction of the Lonely Mountain.

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf pointed out.

"Well, we will take it as a sign; a good omen," said Thorin, stealing a glad glance at Bilbo next to him.

He nodded and said, "You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us."

The company stood at the top of the rock tower and continued to gaze out at the majestic mountain that stood miles away, knowing that, even though they still had miles to go, their destination was now close at hand.

Kili came around to Aira's other side and wrapped an arm around her waist, beaming at her with gladness. Aira once again found herself so drawn in by the adorableness he got in his face every time he smiled, especially when it was directed at her. Acting upon the urge she got from the familiar warm feeling in her chest, and not caring that others were watching, Aira leaned in and gave Kili a tender, loving kiss.

"Oi, wait until we get off this rock before you start doing that!" Dwalin teasingly chided at them.

Everyone else started to chuckle at the young lovers who were now grinning and blushing.

"I thought she was dead, Dwalin," Kili replied, pretending to get overly-defensive, "so, if you don't mind, I'll kiss her whenever and however much I please!"

To prove his point, the young Dwarf Prince took his Princess into his arms, dipped her low, which caused her to cry out in surprise, and kissed her very enthusiastically. Taken aback yet flattered by Kili's bold move, Aira snickered into the kiss and her hand drifted up and caressed his cheek before sliding up to the back of his head and tangling itself into his hair, pulling him closer.

A chorus of cheers and play "Ooh's" that were mainly directed at Dwalin sounded from the rest of the company. The larger Dwarf just grinned and shook his head.

When Kili lifted Aira back to her feet and pulled away, she just giggled like a little girl and laid her head on his chest, amused by his romantic audacity.

"There will be time for such merriment later," said Gandalf, trying to stifle a chuckle himself. "But now, unless you'd all rather stay up here for the remainder of the day, I suggest we begin our descent down this stone tower and then we can continue from there."

The company gladly obliged with the wizard's suggestion and started to follow him to the back, where there seemed to be a set of stairs carved into the side of the tower leading back down to the ground.

However, as Aira started to go with them, Thorin gently took a hold of her arm and held her back.

"I need to speak with you alone before we go down," he told her. He noticed Fili and Kili were standing a few feet away and eyeing them curiously. Thorin gave them a reassuring nod, letting them know it was okay for them go along without them.

They bowed their heads back in understanding and went to follow the rest of the group. Kili looked at Aira one more time and mouthed, _"I love you," _to her, receiving a smile and a nod in return, and then went after his brother.

Now Aira and Thorin were alone at the top of the stone tower. She didn't even need to ask to know what it was he wanted to discuss while they were there. And it was confirmed by the look she saw in his eyes: a look of care and searching regard.

It didn't take him long to start talking. "You know what I wish to speak to you about," he said to her.

"About what happened back on the mountain?" Aira asked rhetorically.

Thorin nodded.

Aira sighed, thinking back on everything that was said between them. "I've always known, Thorin," she said. "Even though you've never said those words to me, I never needed to hear them to know that it was true."

But then he held up his hand. "That is actually not what I wanted to speak of."

She stopped and furrowed her eyebrows at him curiously. If that wasn't it, then what did he want her there for?

"I wanted to speak to you of what _you_ said."

For reasons unknown, Aira's chest tightened timidly. But she didn't understand why. She didn't have anything to be nervous about. She supposed it just surprised her that he had even heard what she said.

"You thought I lost consciousness," Thorin went on, "which I almost did. There was a small part of my mind that was hanging on; refusing to let me fall into the dark just yet…and I heard your words. Did you really mean everything you said?"

Aira sighed again and shook her head a little. "Of course, I did! I thought you were dying and that I was losing you…why, in those last moments, would I say something I didn't mean?"

Thorin, though comforted by her statement, swallowed nervously. "I haven't…replaced your real father, have I?"

_"Is __that__ what he's been afraid of all this time?" _Aira wondered, amazed at the fact he even had to speculate about that.

She stepped closer to him and gave him a heartening smile to him to calm his unnecessary fear. "I will always love my real father and he will have a special place in my heart as long as I live…but my heart is not closed within me, especially to you."

Thorin's expression softened, becoming hopeful as he listened to her.

With great compassion, Aira explained, "You have been a part of my life since it began. You took care of me even before my real father passed away. You gave me a life I couldn't have ever imagined had you not been my father's friend. It was not a wonderful life because I was with the royal family. Royalty had nothing to do it. I had another home and another family. From the start, I felt loved and knew that I had a place to belong, even though it took some time for me to adjust."

She paused briefly, holding back the tears she could fill welling up. "I never knew my mother and my father died when I was still young, so I did not know him as well. I know you more than I ever knew my real father." Aira took Thorin's hand in hers and her voice became slightly strained, full of emotions. "You have given me everything I'll ever need: a home, a family, love, protection and happiness. It is because of you, through your guidance and inspiration, I have become the woman I am now. You _are_ my true father, by bond and by love…and _I_ am your daughter."

Thorin took a sharp intake of breath, astonished and unbelieving of every word that Aira was saying to him. Her last statement was what amazed him the most, but then she put a hand over her heart and said something that about stopped his heart in amazement.

"I may be Airaním, daughter of Rimedur, by birth…but now, I choose to be who I _know_ I am in my heart, and that is Airaním…daughter of Thorin Oakenshield…a noble Dwarf King whom I have revered and loved as a guardian; as a father since I was a child."

Thorin's eyes filled with tears and fell down his cheeks, deeply moved by Aira's declaration and a cheerful smile spread across his face. It was the one of the most genuine things he had ever heard in his life and hearing such a thing from Aira meant so much to him. It meant more than the world; more than even all the treasure in the Lonely Mountain and his heart was full; something he hadn't felt in the longest time.

Aira beamed back at him, her own face getting wet with her tears. It felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted off her chest. The entire moment seemed so surreal; she almost couldn't believe it had happened. She never thought anything like this would ever be said out loud, but now that it had taken place, it gave her the best, warmest feeling she had ever had.

"And that's something I should have told you years ago," she said.

Thorin reached out and started fingering one of Aira's braids by her ear. "Your father was right about you," he sighed.

Quizzically, Aira tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

He grinned. "Before I came to, I had a dream; I received a visit from your father in my unconscious state."

* * *

_Earlier that morning..._

_Thorin found himself standing on a cloud in the middle of the sky, which seemed rather odd. The last thing he remembered before he got there was lying on the ground near a cliff in the Misty Mountains. Aira had been near him, grasping his hand, and he had closed his eyes, readying himself for the killing blow from Azog's Orc. But then Bilbo had tackled it, killed it and saved his life. Then he found himself on this cloud, having no idea how he suddenly got there._

_Just then, he heard Aira's voice in the air calling for him. She sounded scared and desperate. Concerned, he cried out her name in response, but he was afraid that, wherever she was, she couldn't hear him._

_Her voice spoke again, very faint at first, "Your company needs you…your nephews need you…__I__ need you…! Come back, don't leave me! I have already lost one father; I won't lose you, too! You can't leave me fatherless…!"_

_"Aira, I would never leave you!" Thorin shouted, trying hard to reach her._

_Then he heard her one final time, "You are my father, Thorin Oakenshield…my __true__ father…and I love you."_

_He froze. Did she actually say what he thought she said? Frantically, he cried out to her and looked around trying to spot her._

_Then he heard Azog's voice, saying something he didn't understand, but he knew it wasn't good either way and he grew very worried._

_"No, Aira!" he called out, but then his body lifted to the air and spun out of control until he saw nothing but darkness._

_The next time he opened his eyes, Thorin found himself outside of a mountain. There were tents set up all around him, yet there was not a soul in sight. He was all by himself._

_This place looked familiar. He knew it well; he had been here before. But why was he here again?_

_Then he heard a voice he knew speak from one of the tents, "I want you to take care of Aira after I am gone."_

_He saw through the flap of the nearest tent two Dwarves: one covered in dust and rubble, lying injured on a cot, and the other in black furs, a dark cloak and blue regal attire standing next to him with his hand in his._

_The injured Dwarf spoke again, "You must do this. I do not want Aira to end up living alone or with strangers. She knows you and I'm certain she will happy in your care. Please, my friend…"_

_Thorin felt a tug in his stomach. Why was he seeing this? This situation had been hard enough the first time._

_"I'm sure you remember this day very well."_

_Startled, he whipped around and saw a friendly face he recognized: a Dwarf just a little shorter than he was with dark auburn hair and a large, long beard of the same color, wearing a simple green tunic with black breeches. The Dwarf looked much better than the last time Thorin had seen him, no longer covered in dirt or blood; he looked clean and happy again._

_"Rimedur?"_

_The older Dwarf grinned. "It's good to see you, old friend."_

_Thorin went to say the same thing back, but then a certain thought hit him and he grew afraid. Hesitantly, he asked. "Am I dead?"_

_Rimedur shook his head. "Fortunately, no, you are not. You are in a state of mind between life and death." He took a few steps closer to Thorin and asked him, "Do you know where you are?"_

_Thorin answered, "Outside the mines of Ered Luin." He looked back towards the tent. "This was the day you died." He could still see his and Rimedur's past selves in the tent, but couldn't hear what was being said. _

_The Dwarf King turned back to his friend. "Why am I seeing this?"_

_"Because I am showing you that the day my life ended was also the day __your__ life truly began." When Thorin looked like he didn't understand, Rimedur said to clarify, "Taking in Airaním after my death was the best thing for both of you."_

_Now that he did understand, Thorin nodded. "Aira has grown into a wonderful young woman," he told Rimedur. "Your daughter is a lot like you."_

_But then Rimedur shook his head at him. "I think she's a lot more like __you__," he said. "And there is no need to call her my daughter anymore. She is yours now."_

_"Rimedur—"_

_"Spare me, Thorin," he said, holding up his hand. "I have watched over the both of you for the last seventy years. I know how much you love her and how much she loves you in return. She admires you greatly. You have a far greater and stronger bond with Aira than I ever could have, had I lived."_

_"Do not say such things."_

_"It is true! She is a special child who was destined to be in your care." Rimedur exhaled, hoping that Thorin would understand what he was saying and was going to say. "I truly believe that she was meant to be yours from the beginning, but because you had yet to take a wife, she had to be born into the world to different parents and she would come into your life another way."_

_"Rimedur, don't be ridiculous! She is __your__ real child, not mine."_

_"She is very much like you, more than you may realize. Even before I died, I saw much of you in her. I thought, at first, it was because of the time you spent with her, but I would see certain things in her personality and behavior that was so resembling of you, it was almost uncanny."_

_Thorin tried hard to understand, but it was all a lot to wrap his mind around. It wasn't possible that Aira was meant to be his child from the beginning. That idea was just unheard of. Rimedur just seemed to be speculating about that notion, or at least that's what Thorin believed._

_ "But that's not what is important right now," Rimedur went on, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "What is important is that's she's __yours__ now, Thorin. She has been for seventy years and you've only just recently realized it."_

_"That's not true," said Thorin. "I've always realized it. I only just realized how much she means to me and how much I really care about her. I took it all for granted and I shouldn't have."_

_"That's just who you are, my friend. You're stubborn, always have been. That pride of yours can sometimes get in the way of what's truly important."_

_"I shouldn't have let it, not when it came to Aira."_

_"As I said, she's a lot like you. You both are fairly stubborn and that's why you both ended up in this situation where neither of you could find the heart to admit the truth, making it a never-ending cycle of unspoken words. It took both of you nearly dying for you and her to finally say something."_

_"I've been afraid she'd think I'm trying to replace you."_

_Rimedur just grinned kindly. "I will always have a place in her heart, but there is plenty more room in her heart for you. That's why she has the name 'Goldenheart'." He paused for a moment and then said, "Airaním wants you as her father, not just a father-figure anymore, and I know you want to be that for her…and that's what I want for the both of you, too."_

_Thorin's head jerked, surprised._

_"You both need to let me go and move on. Do not be afraid of replacing me; this is what's meant to be. Tell Aira everything, Thorin. You have already started and you will have the will to tell her the rest. She does know how much you care, but you are right with what you've said the last few days: she deserves to hear it from you. And she will do the same with you, I know she will. She is __your__ daughter, Thorin Oakenshield…she has been since the day I passed from this world…and I give you both my blessing."_

_Thorin couldn't describe how he felt in that moment. His friend had given his blessing; was basically relinquishing his full rights as a parent and passing it on to him. What could he possibly say to that? His heart swelled up with gratitude and admiration for Rimedur. He couldn't believe what he had just done for him. There was no way his friend could even imagine all he had really done and how much it meant to him._

_Suddenly, the wind began to blow roughly._

_"Our time here is almost through," said Rimedur. "Soon you will awake and return to your company."_

_Thorin, realizing this meeting was drawing to a close, grasped Rimedur's hand and shook it. "Thank you, my dear friend," he said nicely. "Give my regards to your wife."_

_"I will," Rimedur replied, "and give Airaním this message for me…."_

* * *

"He said that he is proud of the woman you've become, he loves you very much…and…that you may call me 'Father', if you wish."

Aira exhaled abruptly. She had been so enamored with Thorin's re-telling of his dream that she had temporarily forgotten to breathe. He had really been visited by her father…it was an incredible thing to think about. But it was all the things her father had said to Thorin that amazed her even more and her heart was overflowing with joy. It all just seemed too good to be true.

Thorin, who was a bit breathless himself from his emotions, traced Aira's jaw lightly with his hand and said to her fondly, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. While your father's death was dreadful, I have also come to see it as a blessing in disguise because it brought you into my life and you have been a beacon of light for me ever since, even when you were a child and didn't know it. You gave me hope in times where I had none. You have been a joy for me, Dis, Fili and Kili and I cannot imagine a life without you in our family."

His voice started to break and he blinked rapidly to keep back his tears. Aira, going through the same thing, reached up and grasped his hand that remained resting just barely on her cheek.

Then he went on, "I have loved you as my own for almost seventy years and I've been a complete fool to have never admitted it. My blasted pride prevented me. I don't know what I would do without you. I have never been more filled with regret than when I thought you were lost back on the mountain. My heart could barely take the pain I felt, I almost gave up everything and…."

He trailed off and turned away, feeling his eyes watering up even more.

Aira, sensing just how awful he had felt, reached out with her other hand and cupped his face, turning him back to face her. She gave him a comforting smile with both her lips and her eyes, reminding him that there was no need to remember that pain; that she was still alive and she was with him.

"I told you before…you will never be without me," she said to soothe him. When he gave her a half-smile, she ran her hand once more down his cheek and said, "I must ask you: would it be all right if I called you 'Father'?"

That brought a full, bright smile across Thorin's face. "Nothing would make me happier," he replied.

Overly satisfied, Aira threw her arms around Thorin's neck and hugged him tightly. "No one could've been a better guardian for me than you," she stated.

He sighed and hugged her even harder.

"I love you, Father…so much," Aira whispered in his ear.

Now with his chest about to burst from an overjoyed, racing heart from hearing her call him "Father" again, Thorin turned his head and whispered back, "And I love _you_, my beloved daughter…always…."

Aira's arms tightened around him and she buried her face in the fur of his coat.

It had finally happened. Thorin and Aira had sealed themselves to each other as father and daughter by truth and love! It was the most wonderful moment for them both; one they had been waiting for, for many years. They had gone through their fair share of trials and overcome many more obstacles, but their bond had proved strong enough to withstand even the most difficult tests of time. They felt the happiest they had ever been in a long time.

After hugging each other for a few moments, Thorin pulled back to kiss Aira on her brow, but she held up a hand to stop him, startling him. Then, without a word, Aira lifted her head and planted a firm, lingering kiss on Thorin's temple instead, conveying all of her platonic, daughterly love to him; her King and father.

When she lowered her head, he surprised her by playfully kissing the bridge of her nose and she snickered at him before hugging him again.

"I think perhaps it's time that we joined the others down on the ground," Thorin suggested.

Aira nodded. "I agree. Let us go."

He waved out his hand, gesturing for her to lead the way. As they walked to the stairway, he said, "Oh, and there is one more thing that Rimedur mentioned to me when I saw him."

"What is that?"

Thorin smirked. "He said, 'that nephew of yours, Kili, better treat Aira right or else I will haunt him in his dreams for the rest of his life.'"

Amused, Aira just laughed loudly and Thorin joined in with her. Then, arm in arm together, the two of them made their way down the rock stairway to join the rest of their companions.

.

**At last! :)**

**And don't worry, other certain details you all have been wondering about are coming up... xD**

**Leave me a review or send me a PM with your thoughts, I always love to hear them :D**

_**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

**I must inform you that, now that we have reached the end of Part 1 of "The Hobbit", I will be getting to a stopping point in this story in just a couple more chapters. I plan to just follow the movies instead of going into the book like most people cuz I know I'm going to want to change things once the other 2 come out :P**

**Here's where I need your help! I'm stuck between 2 options of what to do with this story and I can't decide. Either (1) Complete this story and then start a Part 2 once Desolation of Smaug comes out or (2) Put this on temporary hiatus and then continue it after the 2nd movie.**

**What option do you think I should choose? The poll should be up on my profile eventually, so please help me and vote once it is! That would be very much appreciated! :) Thank you!**


	32. Suspicions

**I am SOOOOO sorry about the long delay in updating this story! It's been over a month :P I got so caught up in my Thorin fanfic and after each update for that one, I would think, "Okay, gotta get back to my Kili fanfic" but then I never would, so I sincerely apologize! xP**

**This one is slightly shorter than normal, but I still think it'll suffice. But get ready...a lot of angst in this one... :P**

**But, nonetheless, enjoy!**

**.**

Before long, Aira and Thorin joined up with the rest of the company down on the ground. They had gone just a little slower due to their wounds, which they knew Oin would need to look at once they got off the rock tower. Upon their arrival, they were greeted with cheerful, smiling faces from everyone.

Just as they suspected, Oin was the first one to approach them. "All right, you two," he began, "now that you're down here…you both were injured back on the Misty Mountains. I need to take a look at your wounds."

Aira gestured to Thorin and said, "Take a look at his wounds first. His require much more immediate attention than mine."

Oin turned to look at her. "But you fell from the mountain," he pointed out. "Surely, you must have injured yourself from that, as well."

She shook her head. "As hard to believe as it is, I didn't. Perhaps a small bump to the head, but other than that and aside from my other wounds, I'm all right. On the other hand, my father was badly hurt and his wounds are more bound to get infected if not treated right away, so you must see to him first."

It was then she noticed the rest of the company were giving her curious looks or were glancing at each other with grins on their faces—although that was mainly Fili, Kili, Balin and Dwalin—at her calling Thorin her father. She had said it without realizing she had never called him that in front of them. Fili, Kili, Balin and Dwalin all knew right away what had happened when the two of them had stayed behind at the top of the rock. The others caught on in seconds and they too started to grin at them.

Both Aira and Thorin couldn't help but roll their eyes and smirk.

Oin raised his eyebrows at Thorin. "Well…daughter's orders! Can't argue with that," he declared without a second thought as he and Aira swapped places.

The rest of the company, Thorin included, chuckled at Oin's remark.

"Besides," said Aira, "between the two of us, he is more important than me and is the one that should be well."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Nori standing beside her. "Aira, you've got to stop selling yourself short; stop making it seem like you're not important!" he cried. "You _are_ important to all of us!"

"Thank you, Nori," she said gratefully. "I know I'm important to all of you…I'm simply saying I'm not _as_ significant as some of us here."

Balin then approached her other side and said to her, "Child, you are a Princess of Durin. _Never_ believe, even for a second, that you are insignificant in any way!"

"We second that!" both Fili and Kili cried out together, making everyone chuckle again.

Aira glanced at the brothers, a happy, amused smile inching across her face at them. _"Oh, my boys!"_ she thought gladly as she ran to them and they led her away.

The others let them go, knowing the three young Dwarves were going to want some time to themselves after everything that had happened.

While Oin gathered his necessary healing materials, Thorin went to sit down on the grass, using a nearby boulder to steady himself, but found it a bit painful to do. Without a word, Dwalin walked up to him, took his other arm and slung it around his shoulders. Then, he put a hand on his King's back and helped him slowly lower down onto the grass.

"There you go, lad," Dwalin said to him with a small grin, shifting onto one knee.

Thorin exhaled from the slight sting of sitting down. "Thank you, my friend," he replied.

Dwalin then smirked and gave him a bit of an inquiring look. "So…Aira called you 'Father', I see," he stated.

Gladly, Thorin grinned in response. He was sure that Dwalin had figured out what had happened, but he figured he would tell him, anyway. "I told her the truth, Dwalin," he said. "I told her everything. I know it took the both of us almost dying for me to finally say something, and I still feel ashamed of that."

His friend laid a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder.

He went on, sounding relieved, "I told her I loved her as my own and she said in return that she will always be my daughter and that I am her true father…and she has elected to call me so."

Dwalin couldn't have had a bigger, happier smile on his face in that moment. "I knew you had it in you, lad!" he exclaimed, giving him a light pat on the back so as to not hurt him.

"That is wonderful news," added Balin, who had been standing nearby and heard all that was said. "We are very happy for you both."

"And don't keep feeling ashamed for the circumstances under which you told her the truth," said Dwalin. "It was better than nothing. What matters is that you told her how you feel and got everything out in the open between the two of you."

"There was something else, as well," said Thorin. When the brothers acknowledged that they were listening, he told them, "I saw Rimedur. He came to me while I was unconscious."

Both Balin and Dwalin looked amazed as he relayed to them everything about his dream.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aira, Fili and Kili had wandered off to have a few minutes together before it was Aira's turn to be looked over by Oin. They didn't wander very far, but it was far enough to where the rest of the company wouldn't hear them.

"Aira, you can't even imagine how overjoyed we are that you're alive!" Fili exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "Nothing was the same when we all thought you were lost. Kili about launched himself off the mountain after you and then he turned stoic for a good portion of the night. He didn't say a word or do anything for hours."

Aira looked to Kili and saw the slight pain in his eyes from remembering those awful feelings. She could only imagine the anguish he must have felt, thinking he'd lost her.

Then Fili's hand reached up to the ring on a chain around his neck, remembering what he himself had thought that night. "At one time, I thought of Maori and couldn't even bear to think of how I would tell her what had happened to you the next time I saw her…."

She placed her hands on the brothers' shoulders. "Lads, banish those thoughts from your minds!" she boldly ordered them. "I am alive and you never have to think those things again!"

Comforted, they both beamed at her.

"What happened with you and Thorin a few moments ago at the top of the tower? Or Carrock, as Gandalf says it's called," asked Kili, even though he could imagine what her answer would be.

Aira knew that he knew it, too, but she smiled brightly nonetheless. "He did it. He told me he loved me as his daughter…he told me everything!" she told them with a tone of great joy.

"Oh, I knew it! Thank Durin!" Kili sighed, grinning. "I knew he could do it!"

"Mahal be praised!" Fili cried, gesturing skyward with his hands.

Aira went on, "He told me he loved me back at the Misty Mountains when we both thought he was going to die…and then everything else came after the eagles left us on the tower. Or Carrock, I mean." Then she explained everything that had happened, including the dream visit Thorin had had from Rimedur.

"Well, that would explain why you were suddenly calling him 'Father' when you two came back down," Kili commented with a small grin. "But it seems fitting and that you enjoy it."

"I really do," Aira said, nodding.

"That is amazing that your father visited Thorin!" said Fili. "It's even more amazing all the things he said, giving his blessing to the both of you."

Aira smiled, showing how happy she felt about that. Then she turned to Kili, pointed a finger at him and added, smirking, "He also said that _you_ better treat me right or he'll haunt you in your dreams for the rest of your life."

Fili laughed teasingly at his younger brother who looked slightly alarmed at first, but then his expression turned calm.

He moved behind Aira and snaked his hands around her waist, pulling her back up against his chest. "Well, your father need not fear," he said deeply into her ear, "because I only ever intend to treat you well, like the Princess that you are." Then he sealed that promise with a firm kiss to her cheek.

"Besides," Fili put in, "if Kili ever treated you wrong, he would have _me _to deal with first! If he somehow wronged you in any way, Rimedur wouldn't ever get a chance to haunt him because I would never let him sleep!" Then he lightly punched Kili in the shoulder.

"Oh, I don't doubt that!" Aira playfully responded after Kili cried out in fake pain.

Just then, they heard a rustling noise approaching and Bofur appeared, walking out from behind some trees.

"Ah, there you are!" he stated. He looked at Aira. "Oin says he's finished with Thorin and would like to take a look at your wounds now."

She bowed her head and thanked him. After he turned around to leave, Aira took hold of Fili and Kili's hands on either side of her and they all walked back to the company's resting place. They found everyone sitting around either fiddling with their weapons or resting their heads from exhaustion.

Oin saw them coming and motioned for Aira to come sit in front of him. Fili and Kili left her side to go check on their uncle. The young Dwarf-woman went and sat down on a rock in front of the company apothecary.

"Turn around and lift your shirt so I can look at your back, please," Oin said to her.

She complied and turned around, lifting the back of her shirt carefully. She could feel the essence of dried blood embedded still in the fabric and shuddered.

Oin was silent for a brief moment and then said, "It looks like your whip wounds have stopped bleeding and have scabbed over. As long as you're careful, they shouldn't re-open. I'm going to apply an herbal salve to them to help keep any pain away and to help the healing."

"All right, then," Aira replied. She was relieved that he hadn't said anything about the other scars she had on her back. Maybe her new wounds had covered them enough to where he couldn't see them and deep down she was grateful for that.

A second later she felt something cold on the middle of her back and she flinched, gasping slightly. But then the cold feeling slowly turned a bit warmer as Oin gently applied the rest of the salve over her entire back.

"Now, lift the side of your shirt," he then said. "I need to see where Azog's claw got you."

Aira lowered the back of her top and then lifted the side of it as Oin requested. There were only small traces of blood still on the wound and he cleaned it off with a clean rag.

Once again, he said nothing for a moment, but when he did, there was a trace of concern in his voice. "Airaním…this wound looks very similar to the scar you showed us in Rivendell…the one on your stomach."

Her head jerked up, eyes wide, and she stiffened. _"Oh, gods…!"_ she thought, panicking.

She had forgotten about the first scar that Azog had inflicted upon her; the one she had told her companions an Orc in Rohan had given her! Oin had noticed the similarities between that and her current wound…now she was in trouble.

Oin sat back and looked directly at her. "You told us that you got the first scar in Rohan from an Orc with a spear…," he declared suspiciously.

She nervously fidgeted. "They were both Orcs, I'm sure they have very similar weapons…," she replied, trying to keep up her lie.

But Oin wasn't buying it. He shook his head and then lifted her top a little to look at the scar on her abdomen. "But the marks are all in the same pattern," he pointed out. "That is no coincidence."

Aira looked to the side and found everyone else in the company were staring at her, having heard Oin's first statement. Some, mostly the older Dwarves, were looking at her with the same look of doubt as Oin, others looked more confused than anything. Now she felt even more panicked and under pressure. She tensed up and her heart started pounding against her chest, trying to free itself.

It was then that Dori stepped forward and stole a look at Aira's still-exposed scar. "Oin's right," he said, "they are the same!"

_"Oh, no…this cannot be happening!"_ Aira pleaded in her mind.

"You know, I think you're hiding something from us…and if I recall correctly, you still have not told us everything that happened to you while you were gone these last few years," said Gloin, crossing his arms.

The young Dwarf-woman looked around fretfully at the others, feeling their suspicious stares burning right through her. Her breathing grew heavy with apprehension.

"All we know is your encounter with Maori, nothing else," pointed out Balin.

"Perhaps nothing else happened...," Aira responded. Right away, she mentally kicked herself, knowing that was the worst excuse and finding it difficult to come up with anything better.

Just as she suspected, no one believed that.

Gloin was the one to voice everyone's thoughts: "You were gone for thirty years, there's no possible way that nothing else happened. Why are you keeping your past a secret?"

"I—I don't—I…," was all Aira could stammer out.

"I think you owe all of us an explanation, young one," Oin stated firmly. "Have you had an encounter with the pale Orc before?"

"No, I—I just—I—I…."

"Well?" demanded Gloin.

"Leave her alone!" Kili cried out, jumping up and pulling him back.

The older Dwarf turned to the younger one with a mad, annoyed expression on his face. He pointed a finger at Kili and growled, "Don't you defend her, lad! She has not told us the truth and you know it!"

"Is it really hurting you to not know what she did?" he inquired.

Fili moved next to his brother and added, "Aira's mind has been on all of us and on this quest. She hasn't had the time to tell the truth."

"She has plenty of time _now_," Nori said, joining the argument.

"Look, just leave Aira be," Fili said in a strong voice. "She's been through a lot these past few hours and needs her rest."

Ori jumped up next to Fili. "I agree with Fili and Kili," he said boldly.

"Stay out of this, Ori!" said Dori in his usually overbearing way.

At this, Ori, Fili and Kili began to get even more defensive and the rest of the company began bickering amongst one another about Aira and her past and who should or shouldn't be arguing. The only ones who stood by were Gandalf and Bilbo, both of them watching in bewilderment at what was unraveling before them and thinking it was unwise to participate in an argument between a group of Dwarves.

The entire time Aira just sat in her place, her worry building more and more at hearing the company arguing and fighting about her. She didn't know what to do or say or really if she should say or do anything at all.

She glanced to the side and noticed Thorin was the only Dwarf who wasn't part of the fight. Instead, he was still seated on the rock he'd been on, his gaze fixed on her. The look on his face was one Aira had never seen before: it was a look of fear, sadness and disappointment. There was pain in his eyes mixed with dread, unbelieving of what he had heard and fearing that what the others were implying was true.

This look burned deep into Aira's very being. She knew that her silence was only breaking his heart. Knowing this, her eyes started to fill with tears. She closed her eyes to keep them from escaping and turned away, the shouts and cries of the others ringing in her ears. Her anxiety was escalating inside her; she felt as though there were invisible walls closing in around her and there was no way out. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, finding it hard to breathe, her head and heart pounding madly. She could feel her restraint slipping.

"She is _not_ a liar!" she heard Dwalin exclaim angrily.

"Then what would you call her when she's keeping the truth hidden?!" asked Gloin loudly.

Bofur's voice then cried out, "How could you say such a thing about Aira? She's our friend!"

"If she really is our friend, then she would give us the explanation she owes us!"

"_'IKHUZH!_"

There was a sudden silence and all heads turned, wide-eyed and shocked, over to Aira, who had just leapt up to her feet and shrieked so loudly in Khuzdul that the birds in the trees above them had been startled and flew away.

She had finally exploded. The pressure was becoming too much from listening to her companions fighting and she couldn't take it anymore. Something inside of her had just snapped as the Khuzdul word for "stop" erupted from her mouth so loudly that her voice scratched her throat.

Everyone's eyes were huge as they all stared at her. She appeared angry, hurt and afraid.

Aira's hands clenched tightly into fists as she cried in a rough, choked voice, "Just stop it, all of you, and _leave me alone_!"

She couldn't stay there any longer. She needed to be alone; she had to get away from them for a little while. With that in mind, she whipped around and took off, running straight into the trees and not looking back.

The others were still too much in shock to move or say anything to try and stop her. They all stood in place and watched her leave.

Gandalf was the one who broke the heavy silence. "I hope you thick-headed Dwarves are happy with what you've done!" he said scornfully. "You have upset the poor girl with your arrogant stubbornness."

The Dwarves all hung their heads or looked away, ashamed.

"Should someone go after her and make sure she's all right?" asked Bilbo.

Kili immediately jumped at that chance and started to walk away. However, he was stopped by Thorin, who got up to his feet and gently laid a hand on his nephew's shoulder. When the young Dwarf gave Thorin a look begging him to let him go after Aira, he in return gave him an empathetic glance, telling Kili that it would be all right he would take care of it. There was nothing said between them. Kili surrendered and hung his head. Thorin grasped his shoulder reassuringly and then began to leave.

"Thorin, you should stay and rest. It's not good for your injuries," called Oin.

Thorin turned and gave Oin a sharp look. "I appreciate your concern, Oin," he replied with a low, heated voice, "but you have done enough. I'm more concerned about my daughter than I am about my wounds. All of you: wait here." Then he turned back and quickly walked away as fast as he could to catch up with Aira.

A brief moment had passed when Kili started walking away from the group. Everyone watched him leave, but Fili, naturally, was the only one who went after him.

"Kili, where are you going?" he asked once he was walking beside him.

"I'm not just going to sit back there and wait for them to come back," Kili answered as they made their way through the trees. "I need to know if Aira's all right. I'm going to follow her and Thorin."

"But he wanted us to stay with the others."

"I don't care, Fili, and I have no desire to stay with the others right now. Half of them really upset Aira with what they were saying about her. That, in turn, made _me_ upset."

"The feeling's mutual."

"Please don't try to stop me. I need to make sure she's all right."

"I'm not going to stop you. I'm coming with you."

Fili gave his brother a pat on the back and Kili gave him a grateful nod in return. Then together they quickened their pace through the trees.

* * *

With tears streaming down her face, Aira continued to sprint through the forest, hoping she was putting the company far behind her. Eventually she came to a small clearing and she stopped, trying to catch her breath in between her quiet sobs. She collapsed down onto the grass against a large rock and brushed away the tears on her wet cheeks.

It was over now. A majority of the company had started to question her about her past and were becoming very suspicious. There was no way she could avoid the truth much longer and that fact made her heart race again. She knew she was taking a while, but she still didn't feel ready to tell them. Now she didn't have much of a choice…and she was afraid.

Her body was trembling and she buried her face in her hands. "What am I going to do…?" she moaned.

"Airaním…."

_"I knew it…,_" Aira thought to herself. It was Thorin she heard say her name and she suspected he would follow her.

She responded to him without turning around, "Please, just leave me alone."

"After what I just saw, I don't think I can."

She heard his footsteps approaching behind her and he sat himself down beside her, laying a gentle hand on her back. Hesitantly, Aira lifted her gaze and met his, the look he had from before still etched upon his face along with deep care and concern.

He brushed away a stray tear and asked, "Aira, what is going on with you? I have never seen you behave like that before."

She lowered her eyes, too fearful to answer.

After a brief silence, Thorin then pleaded, his own fear evident in his tone, "Please tell me that what the others are implying isn't true…."

Still, she would not respond, unable to find the right words.

He spoke again, this time a little firmer to try and get her to respond to him, "Aira, please speak to me. What happened to you these last thirty years?"

Finally, she took a deep breath and replied sadly, "You wouldn't understand."

Thorin was surprised by this comment. "I wouldn't understand?" he questioned. He took her head in his hands and made her look at him. "Sweetheart, out of everyone in the company, I am the one who understands you the most…and you know that."

Aira closed her eyes. Thorin's were staring straight into her troubled soul and she just couldn't look at him. She knew what he said was true, but then, after removing his hands from her face, she said back, "You understand me and who I am…but it is the things I have been through that you would not understand."

"Then help me to!" Thorin implored.

"I can't," she said, standing up and wrapping her arms across her chest nervously. "There's nothing to tell."

He stood up behind her. Deep down inside, he was worried about her. She had avoided the demands and questions of the rest of the Dwarves and now she was avoiding him. She was never like this and it was troubling him too much. He felt left in the dark; he wanted to understand what was going on with her and help her, but how could he when she kept pushing away?

"Please, Aira…," he begged softly, "do not lie to me…not now, of all times. Don't turn me away, not after everything we've just been through. You have always come to me about anything…what have I done to suddenly not deserve the truth?"

"No, it's nothing like that. It's not you," Aira protested, still facing away from him.

"Then what is it?"

"It's me! I just—I just can't…."

Thorin kept silent, sensing that she was coming to terms with what she had to do and waiting patiently. And Aira knew it, too. She knew that she was continuing to hurt and disappoint him by keeping her past from him. It was clear that there was going to be no way out of this now.

She thought back to his confession to her back at the top of Carrock, remembering how hard it had been for him to say all those things to her for so long. Despite the fact that he had almost been killed, he had finally found the courage to do something he'd been afraid to do for the longest time.

Aira thought to herself, _"He confessed his deepest secrets to me…I owe him the same courtesy…even if it changes everything…."_

Finally, she sighed in defeat.

It was time.

* * *

Fili and Kili kept moving through the trees until they spotted the shapes of Thorin and Aira a few yards away. The two brothers moved over behind some large bushes, listening in on what they were saying.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Fili whispered.

"Fee, I don't want to interrupt her talk with Thorin, but I cannot wait longer to find out what's going on," Kili whispered back. "I'm worried about her."

"And you think _I'm_ not?" asked his brother.

It was then they heard Thorin speak in the distance:

_"What have I done to suddenly not deserve the truth?"_

Then they heard Aira's reply:

_"No, it's nothing like that. It's not you."_

_"Then what is it?"_

_"It's me! I just—I just can't…."_

The brothers looked to each other with concern when there was silence. What was going to happen? What was Aira doing? Was she going to say something or keep resisting Thorin's questioning?

Then finally they heard her voice.

* * *

"The encounter I had with the pale Orc in the Misty Mountains…was not my first time."

Aira finally turned around and looked up at Thorin with shame etched in her face. He said nothing and just continued to stare at her.

Taking his silence as a cue for her to go on, she continued hesitantly, "We crossed paths before a few years ago. I lied to you…about the scar I showed you in Rivendell. I did not get it from an Orc in Rohan…in truth, it was Azog who gave it to me the first time I came across him."

She saw the anger rising in Thorin's face and his fists were clenching hard. His blood was boiling at the thought of that monster hurting her yet again.

"How did this happen, Aira?" he asked, trying to keep calm.

That, Aira knew, was a question that would not get a simple answer. She sighed again and laid her hands on his arm. "You may want to sit down," she told him, pulling him down to the grass with her.

Without a word, Thorin did as she suggested and sat himself down beside her, ready to listen to what she had to say. Although, deep inside, he feared what she was going to tell him.

"It's time you knew the truth," she declared.

Yards behind them, both Fili and Kili turned to each other again anxiously in hearing her statement.

Aira took a deep breath, trying to cease the shaking in her body. This was the moment she had been dreading since she had been reunited with Thorin…and now it had come. All she could do was ponder what he was going to say or think when he heard the full truth of her past and it only made her more nervous. But when she looked up at him, his face, aside from the evident concern, was full of patience, compassion and understanding.

He saw her shaking hands and grasped them firmly to help calm her. Then he leaned forward and kissed her brow like he always did whenever she was afraid, hoping that would help her in some way.

And it did. His gentle, caring touch helped settle her fear, enough to where she felt confident enough, at least, to speak to him.

She looked at him again and said, "In order for you to understand how all that came to be, I need to start from the beginning…thirty years ago on the night I left the Blue Mountains..."

**.**

**What'd I tell ya? xD**

**The next chapter will be the one I'm sure all of you have been waiting for...Aira's confession of her past. It won't be a flashback chapter, cuz there's too much to tell, so it will just be Aira recounting everything. And don't worry, it won't take me a month to get that chapter up, I don't wanna keep you waiting again :P**

**Also, the poll from last chapter is still up on my profile! Please go and vote!**

**After this chapter, there are only 2 chapters left that I have in mind for now until Desolation of Smaug :P sorry to say that, but it's true...**

**One last thing: I know some authors ask for readers who have an account on deviantart to do pictures of their OC's and I've decided I think I would try that out, if anyone's interested! So if any of you are good artists on deviantart and would be interested in doing a portrait of Aira for me, send me a PM and I'll give you the details of her appearance to help you out :) Each one that I get will be posted on my profile and, quite possibly, one of them might be used for the cover photo!**

**There are a few options you can do: **

**(1.) Just Aira (2.) Aira and Kili (3.) Aira and Fili (4.) Aira, Fili and Kili (5.) Aira and Thorin (6.) Aira and all three heirs of Durin, etc.**

**Those are just some basic ideas! If anyone has any others, let me know! :)**

**Please leave a review or send me a PM with your thoughts! I love hearing from all of you :)**


	33. The Last Thirty Years

**Now, at last, the chapter you have all been waiting for.**

**All I will say is...brace yourselves...**

**.**

Knowing that she had Thorin's full attention, and unaware that Fili and Kili were listening in from behind some bushes not too far away, Aira began her tale.

"After the night I left Ered Luin, I traveled on my own for about a year. I somehow managed to go around the Shire, because when we went there at the start of this journey, I knew I had never been there. I just wandered from place to place, camping outdoors at night or staying in inn's whenever I had the chance.

"Eventually, my travels brought me to Rohan. It was clear to me that not many Dwarves, especially Dwarf-women, ever visited Rohan because I received a few peculiar looks from other people when I arrived. I was browsing in the market the day I arrived when I came across a woman; a woman we both now know as Maori.

"She noticed me and asked if I was a Dwarf. When I confirmed that I was, she got very excited. She had never met a Dwarf-woman before and that was when she told me that she was half-Dwarf, which I had suspected when I saw her shorter stature compared to some of the other women in the market. We spent the rest of the afternoon together just talking and getting to know each other. Then she invited me to have dinner with her and her older brother, Roryk, and I accepted. That night, I was planning just to stay at an inn again, but Maori insisted that I stay in her home. Finally, I gave in to her offer and she told me I could stay with her as long as I wanted. She didn't care how long because she enjoyed my company. My plan was just to stay there for only a few days…but instead, I ended up staying there for eight years."

Thorin, who was listening patiently, raised his eyebrows. "Eight years?" he repeated, a bit surprised.

Aira nodded. "Yes," she answered. "I loved spending time with Maori and basically time just got away from us. She never complained, though, about me staying with her too long. No, she loved it. She and I grew very close and became the best of friends over those years, but you already knew that.

"Then, one day, she and I were out riding together and we rode out farther than we normally did. Without realizing it, we wandered into the outskirts of Dunland and came across a camp of Wild Men. We tried to flee, but we were not fast enough. The Wild Men pulled us from our ponies and attacked us, trying to take us captive. Maori and I fought as hard as we could to get away. I later realized that, in the midst of that, I had lost my emblem necklace. Maori managed to get free, but I was not so lucky. She was going to come back and save me, but I told her to run and save herself. When I saw she was free, I didn't care about myself…I only cared about her and I didn't want her to get hurt because of me. So, after promising that she would find me again and rescue me, she ran like I told her to…and I was taken hostage by the Wild Men."

Aira stopped briefly as the recollections of the Wild Men came back and flooded her mind, hearing the sound of their animalistic growls and Maori shouting she would return for her.

She shook those thoughts away and continued, "Unfortunately, Maori never did rescue me…because, to my dismay, shortly after I was captured, the Wild Men packed up everything in their camp and relocated to another place. This, they did, quite often. I was a prisoner of the Wild Men for the span of three years. By the end of that time, twelve years had passed since the night I left home.

"During those three years, I was kept prisoner by the group that had captured me, which numbered up to nine Wild Men. They made me their wench, forcing me to clean things for them, cook and serve them. I wish I could say they made me their maid…but, no…it was much worse than that…."

Her breathing started to grow heavy and she began to tremble again slightly, which made her voice shaky. "They would use me for their entertainment, making me sing or dance for them sometimes whenever they got bored…but then…th—they…also used me for…for their pleasure…to satisfy their savage needs."

Thorin's eyes widened in sheer shock and his heart stopped, knowing exactly what she was saying. "Oh, Aira…no…," he gasped in disbelief as the dread of hearing this overtook him.

Her eyes closed as she nodded and a single tear escaped down her cheek. Her voice got caught in her throat as she choked out, "They…they raped me…and th—they were…_animals_!"

Aira's emotions burst with her last word and she buried her face in her hands, hyperventilating from the overwhelming rush of horrible memories.

From behind the bushes, both Fili and Kili had to cover their mouths from gasping or crying out upon hearing her words.

She could see in her mind the ugly, maliciously-twisted faces of her captors, cackling and growling viciously the way they would each time they had their way with her. It had taken her years to push these memories out of her mind, but now that she was talking about it again, it brought everything back.

Through her cries and labored breathing, Aira went on, "I was only fifty-eight years of age at the time and it was the most awful thing…! I began to think that those Wild Men weren't even men at all…just savage beasts! I don't think they ever got their pleasure from having their way with me…rather, I believe, they would get it from watching me writhe in pain before them…!"

Too stunned to even speak, Thorin just sat there and stared down at the ground with his mouth hanging slightly open. He didn't want to envision Aira being cruelly treated in that way, and at such a young age! His mind was torn between anger at the Wild Men for what they did and sorrow for Aira for what she had to go through.

After a minute had passed, Aira had calmed herself down, regaining her composure, thankful that Thorin was being patient with her and not saying a word.

"The Wild Men abused me," she continued. "They would beat me, force themselves upon me…the only blessing I received during all of that was that, by some incredible miracle, I did not end up impregnated with the spawn of those barbarians! It would seem that, in the midst of my suffering, Mahal was still keeping watch over me."

Thorin nodded in agreement and, in his heart, offered a truly sincere prayer of gratitude to Mahal for keeping Aira from ending up with child during that time.

In their hiding place, Fili and Kili did the same.

Once again, she took a deep breath, making sure that she was really calm. "After three years, the Wild Men finally got bored with me. I later found out that many groups of Wild Men have established trade agreements…with Orcs…and that was what they were going to do with me: they were going to trade me.

"They brought me with them to a meeting they had with the Orcs they dealt with and offered to barter for me. I do not know what they traded me for. All I know is that the Orc leader took one look at me and said in the common tongue that his master would be pleased with me. They made the agreement with the Wild Men and then suddenly everything went black. The next thing I know, I'm waking up at the top of a ruined watchtower in the dead of night with my hands tightly bound in leather cords, my head and body aching from being pushed around and dragged. It was then, to my horror, that I realized this group of Orcs…were under the command of Azog, the Defiler."

She saw Thorin flinch at the mention of the pale Orc's name and flames of hatred erupted in his eyes. _"All this time…she knew he was alive…,"_ he thought to himself, unsure of whether to be angry or still shocked.

"I remembered the description you had once told me of him and I knew who he was the moment I saw him. There had never been a moment before in my life where I had been so full of fear until then. It was that night when he gave me my first scar," said Aira placing her hand over her stomach, referring to the scar there, "marking me as his slave."

Sighing in distress, Thorin brought his hands to his face. It had already been enough for him to actually see Azog hurting Aira with his own eyes; he had no desire to try and imagine it again.

"After that night, I was taken to the pale Orc's lair in Gundabad, where I was thrown into a dungeon with four other slaves. I was the only Dwarf slave he had. The rest were all of the race of Men.

"Once we arrived, Azog demanded to know my name. I knew that's what he wanted because one of the other men in my cell knew the Orc language and translated for me. I remembered everything you ever told me of the Defiler and I, at first, refused to tell him my name. As a result, he threatened to kill one of the other slaves if I didn't give him the answer he wanted. Hoping I could prevent that from happening, I gave him an answer…but he still killed the man, anyway, which was awful! I could not risk him knowing my actual identity, if he knew of my existence and involvement with the line of Durin, so I used my mother's name and told him my name was Telyna."

Just then, Thorin lifted his head from his hands and said in response, "That explains so much!" When Aira glanced at him, confused, he explained, "Back in the Misty Mountains, after the stone giants' attack, we ended up in Goblin Town and the Goblin King was demanding where a Dwarf girl named Telyna was for the pale Orc. None of us knew what or who he was talking about. I knew Telyna was your mother, but she had never been anywhere outside of Erebor and the Blue Mountains. I knew he couldn't have been referring to her. I didn't understand what was going on…but now I do."

Aira gave him a nod. "Telyna was the name Azog knew me by," she told him.

After taking a moment to compose himself from the previous wave of anger he had felt, he said, "Go on."

Hesitantly, she obliged. "Most of my time as Azog's captive was spent in the dungeons of Gundabad. My cell-mate who knew the Orc tongue taught me the language so I could understand the pale Orc in the future. I despised the ugly language and hated speaking it, but I knew it would be vital to know for my survival. Other times, Azog would have us do some sort of work. He would have us dig in tunnels, he would have us build things, he would—" She cut herself short, feeling her throat tightening and choking up again. She swallowed and finished, her voice straining, "He would have us…dispose of the bodies of other slaves he had killed for sport…."

Hoping to keep herself from thinking about that particular detail, she quickly continued, "Azog never defiled me the way the Wild Men did. Because of his hatred for Dwarves, he swore that was the last thing he would ever do with one. Instead, he would beat me and whip me, which I would have accepted above him doing anything else with me any day. All of these things went on for thirteen years."

"Thirteen years?" Thorin asked, bewildered.

"Yes," Aira answered quietly, "and this is the part of my tale that I dread the most."

Thorin said nothing. He simply gave her a look that showed her he was still listening.

Her gaze lowered down to her hands in her lap. "During my thirteen years as Azog's prisoner…I lost my mind."

"What…?"

"I was driven mad…by misery, fear, sorrow, despair…I changed."

Thorin noticed there were tears falling from Aira's eyes and onto her hands and wrists.

Once again, she grew emotional as she spoke, her voice breaking, "For many years in those dungeons, I wept in silence at night, regretting ever leaving home. I would pray that someday I would see you, Dis, Fili and Kili again. I needed you, badly. Some nights, I cried out for you, Father…desperately wishing that, even though we were hundreds of miles apart, somehow, you would hear me. I had never felt more alone…or afraid…or lost. I would see you or the boys in my dreams and I would be filled with joy, thinking I was home again at last…but then I would wake and my misery would return to me. All dreaming ever did was make everything worse…and I knew it was hopeless. Soon, I began to have recurring nightmares every night of the Wild Men or of the pale Orc; of the tortures I endured in both instances and I began to fear falling asleep at night."

Now her tone turned deeper and darker. "After a few years, I finally lost all hope of ever being free from bondage. I saw no hope; no light at the end of the tunnel. I gave in to my despair and gave up everything. There was nothing left for me but darkness surrounded by walls of shadow, sealing me away from the rest of the world; from the joyful life I once knew. I lost all hope I had of ever returning home; of being with my family. I never thought I would see any of you again and I was so ashamed of leaving you the way I did. Your faces were but distant memories that were slowly fading away as the years drifted by. Hearing your voices again was just a fantasy too far from my reach. I was consumed by my anguish and I changed. If you had seen me just a few years ago, you would not have known who I was…I became a weak and pitiful creature, driven mad by her grief and pain. The Aira I once was had been lost…."

Listening to Aira speak of such dreadful things made Thorin's heart wrench painfully. He no longer cared about the fact that she knew the whole time that Azog was alive and never told him. That didn't matter to him now. He could feel the pain she experienced through her voice and through her words. It was agonizing to him to think that Aira, the young and cheerful girl he had raised, could have been fallen so low and so far. There were tears of melancholy filling up in his eyes as he reached out and took one of her hands in his, sadly whispering her name. She looked up and their gaze met through their tear-filled eyes.

Behind the bushes, Kili and Fili were both silently crying. Everything Aira had said up to that point was so terrible and they couldn't keep their emotions contained. Between the two of them, Kili felt the worst. His heart was full of anger and sorrow after hearing all of the horrible and cruel things that had been done to the woman he loved so much. He was having a difficult time keeping his restrain. Fili saw this and took his brother into his arms, cradling his head against his chest for comfort.

Aira spoke again, this time a bit calmer, "One night, I was asleep when I suddenly heard noises coming from outside the walls of the dungeon. The next thing I know I hear shouts and then there was a flash of bright light going down the corridor outside the doors. I saw some of the other slaves running out of their cells around the Orc guards, who were all suddenly unconscious on the ground, and heard someone calling my name. Then I saw the silhouette of a man I had never seen before: a robed man with a staff and a tall, pointed hat."

Thorin's eyes widened a little, knowing who she was referring to.

"Then I saw someone else appear beside him; someone shorter and they cried out for me as the cell door was opened. It was Maori and Gandalf. They had come to rescue me, but it was also part of Gandalf's intention to free the rest of the slaves, as well. That night is still a blur to me. All I remember is seeing Maori, then she and Gandalf were making me run out of the refuge and then everything else went dark. I was very frail and weak at the time. By the time they had liberated me, it had been twenty-five years since the day I left.

"I regained consciousness days afterwards and found myself back in Maori's home with her sitting next to me. She had not left my side since we had arrived and was overjoyed that I was alive. She then proceeded to tell me that she had been searching for me for years after I had been captured by the Wild Men. Eventually, she came across the same group we had encountered—she recognized some of them, that's how she knew it was the same one—and she actually interrogated them to find out what they did with me when she couldn't see me with them. They told her they sold me to the pale Orc, but they didn't know where he was; they didn't know anything else. A couple of years after that was when she crossed paths with Gandalf. When she found out he was a wizard, she implored with him to help her find me and he promised he would. He left her for a time to try and find the answers they needed pertaining to where the Defiler was hiding out. Once he discovered where, they formed a plan and that was when they came after me."

_"I will __never__ question the wizard again!"_ Thorin thought in his head with gladness.

"Maori also had retrieved my necklace and returned it to me. She had gone back to where the Wild Men camp was originally and found it lying in the grass. She had kept it in her possession so she could give it back to me when she found me.

"Even though I had been freed from the clutches of the pale Orc, I was still in my pitiful, despairing state. My mind; my sanity was long gone and I was just a poor, pathetic being." Aira wrung her hands together nervously. "My legs and arms had not much strength and I could not walk right. My vision constantly would grow faint as if I was going blind. I even forgot how to fight! I had forgotten everything I had ever learned in my training. Gandalf informed Maori later on that, because of the state I was in, it would take some time for me to recover physically, but it was going to take much longer for me to fully recover mentally and emotionally. She said she didn't care how long it took; as long as I was brought back to my normal self in time."

Aira paused for a moment and exhaled sharply. All of the hard parts of her story were past now and it was becoming easier for her to speak without losing her head. She was close to the end and she could feel that relief was near.

"It took me four years to fully recover, with Maori and Gandalf's help. Physically, it only took a couple of months, but, just as Gandalf suspected, it took much more time for me to get better mentally and emotionally. For a while, I wouldn't let either of them even touch me. They would come near and I would recoil and shriek in fear like a frightened child. My mind was still poisoned by my horrible nightmares and I would wake up screaming at night, thinking the Defiler had found me again. Maori slept in the same room as me so that, when that happened, she would always be there to help calm me."

She looked up at Thorin. "Do you remember when I first sang for all of you at the start of our journey?" she asked him.

He bobbed his head and said in reply, finding his voice again, "Yes, you said it was a lullaby that Maori had sung for you."

"That is how she would help calm me," Aira said back. "She would sing that lullaby for me and I would find myself feeling more tranquil and relaxed.

"Gandalf helped by using some of his wizard powers and spells to help rid me of my nightmares and repress my horrible memories as well as restore my mind back to normal. He couldn't do it all at once; there was only so much he could do at a time without permanently damaging my mind in some way. Maori's brother, Roryk, also played a part in my recovery. He and Maori both helped in training me in combat again. As months passed, I began to remember everything you and Dwalin had ever taught me and it all came back to me, along with a few new tricks I had learned from Maori and Roryk."

Now, after a long wait, Aira's tone turned from dreary to optimistic. "The darkness that had once completely plagued my mind, heart and soul soon was expelled and the fires of despair were extinguished," she gladly declared. "After four trying years, I was restored to my normal self. The wretched creature I had become was no more.

"Once I was completely better, Gandalf realized his work with us was done and went on his way; back to wandering the world like he usually does."

Thorin chuckled lightly.

"I stayed with Maori for a few more days after that. Then she and I finally parted ways." Aira's hand lifted slowly to her neck and grasped tightly around the necklace she wore. "I had decided I would travel again and that soon it would be time to return home at last."

A small smile inched upward on the Dwarf King's face.

"After another year, I was travelling back to Ered Luin and, one night, I decided to stay the night at an inn in Eregion. While I was enjoying my evening meal, I was approached by an old friend who informed me of an adventure he wanted me to be a part of."

Now it was her turn to smile, at long last. "Gandalf had found me and told me of the quest for the Lonely Mountain that you were leading. After he told me where the meeting for the quest was to take place, I immediately knew where my path was meant to go. The next thing I know…it was five days later and I was reunited in a Hobbit-hole in the Shire with my friends and, most importantly, my family whom I had terribly missed."

Aira let out a deep, elongated sigh as she glanced at Thorin. "And that is the entire truth; my tale of the last thirty years of my life. Now…you know everything."

Still, he said nothing. He continued to stare at her, stunned by everything he had just been told within the last few minutes. There had been so much more to her story than he could have ever imagined: torture, brutality, madness…he was at a loss for what to think.

"I…for once…I have no words," he finally responded. He slowly reached out and tenderly traced his fingertips along her cheek. "Except I am sorry…."

Impulsively, he pulled her straight into his arms, crushing her against his chest, and she immediately embraced him back, burying her face in his shoulder. They both winced slightly from their wounds, but the pain was ignored. He was breathing heavily, trying to keep himself calm, as he rested his cheek on the top of her head, running a hand through her hair.

"Oh, Airaním…!" he breathed in a cracked voice. "I am _so_ sorry! That is absolutely terrible that you had to endure such horrific things…! Oh, gods, if I would've known…." He paused for a moment when he could sense tears coming to his eyes again. "Now I understand why you never said a word…I am so sorry…! I never wanted anything like that to ever happen to you…. I—I just…I don't know what to say…because anything I _can_ say won't change what happened to you…."

"Then say nothing…," Aira whispered, relaxing against him. When she felt his hold on her slacken, she suddenly tightened her own hold on him. "No, don't!" she cried, making him jump a little. "Don't let go! Please…I have been without your constant comfort for so long and I've needed it so much. For right now, please…just hold me…like the way you once did when I was a child…. Hold me, _'Adad_, and don't let me go."

After she had called him "Father" in their sacred language and buried her face in the crook of his neck, Thorin needed no other encouragement.

"I'll never let you go, my _nathith_," he promised as he gently held her, calling her "daughter" in their language. "Never again."

In that moment, it was as if Thorin was holding the young six year-old child again in his arms. He lovingly kissed her hair, wishing deep inside that there was some possible way he could take away all her pain. It made his heart ache knowing that she had suffered so much; more than any young Dwarf-woman should ever have to endure. But now, he swore for certain in his head, that the next time they crossed paths with Azog, the Defiler, he _would_ kill that monster and he would _not_ fail again!

"I'm so sorry…," he whispered again, his lips still in her hair.

"May I ask something of you?" Aira inquired.

"Anything," Thorin answered.

"When we go back…could you perhaps be the one to tell my story to the others? I really do not want to have re-tell it a second time to all of them…."

He rubbed her shoulders and said, "Yes, I will…but what about Fili and Kili?"

"What do you mean?"

"They are your family, the same as I am. I know you do not wish to tell your tale again, but I think they need to hear the truth from you instead of me."

"There's no need!" they suddenly heard Kili call out behind them.

Thorin and Aira pulled apart and looked back to see Fili and Kili appearing from behind the shrubbery and coming towards them.

"Fili, Kili!" Aira cried softly as she and Thorin stood up, startled to see they had been hiding.

Both of them were looking sadly towards her, their faces wet with tears. Fili appeared gloomy, yet calm, but Kili's face was still red and there were fresh tears streaming down his face.

"We heard everything…please do not be angry with us," he breathed out in a strained voice, looking back and forth between Aira and Thorin.

"You were listening all this time?" their uncle asked.

"We couldn't help it," answered Fili. "Yes, we know it was wrong, but we were worried sick and just couldn't sit by and wait."

Thorin simply shook his head at his nephews, unsure of whether to be irritated with them or sympathetic. He had to admit that he most likely would have done the same thing if roles were reversed.

Fili was the first to step towards Aira, who gazed at him with still slightly sad eyes.

"Aira, I am so sorry," he said, his voice choking up. "Such horrible things like that should never happen to someone as wonderful as you."

She didn't say a word as he pulled her into his consoling embrace.

Then he added, trying to be a bit more positive, "Remind me to greatly and deeply thank Maori when next we see her for taking care of you and being there for you."

Aira gave a light laugh in agreement as she pulled back. Then her gaze drifted to Kili, who was on the verge of crying again. The two of them practically jumped into each other's arms and held on tightly to each other as if the world was coming to an end.

Kili's tears resumed falling and through his soft crying, he whispered, "I love you, Aira…I love you with all my heart! Hearing everything you went through nearly killed me! I am so sorry, my love! I will never let anything like that happen to you ever again, I promise!" He took a deep breath. "I love you so much…!"

"I love you…!" Aira gasped back, her arms tightening around his neck. Truthfully, she was thankful that he and his brother had followed and listened, because now she wouldn't have to re-tell her awful story again to them.

The two of them stayed like this in each other's arms for a few moments before Thorin broke the silence and said, "I think that we should return to the others now."

Aira felt uneasy about going back to face the others after what had happened earlier, but nevertheless, she knew there wasn't another choice. Thorin took her hand and led her alongside him, with Fili and Kili following right behind them.

Soon, they emerged from the trees back into the clearing where the rest of the company was waiting for them. Most of them were sitting down in the grass, but they jumped up once they saw Thorin, Aira and the brothers had returned.

Bilbo ran right up to Aira. "Aira, are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded and responded with a simple, "Yes."

"Aira…," said Dwalin, stepping forward.

The Dwarf-woman looked over to him.

"We know," he said. "We know about your past."

Utterly taken aback, her head whipped around to look at Thorin, whose expression was the exact same as hers. "How…?" she asked.

"I told them, my dear," answered Gandalf, standing up from the boulder he was seated on.

Thorin's face suddenly turned hard. "You told me once that it was not your place to reveal any of Aira's past endeavors!" he pointed out sharply.

The wizard simply bowed his head and responded, "Indeed, I did say that, but that was in regards to _you_, Thorin Oakenshield. I was unsure of whether or not Airaním would tell the entire company at once, but I was certain that she would tell you before anyone else. After what happened earlier, I knew she would see no choice but to tell the truth and that she would tell you when you went after her."

His kind gaze drifted over to Aira. "Forgive me, my dear," he said. "I sensed that you would tell Thorin the truth of your past, but would not want to repeat everything again to the rest of our companions, so I took the liberty of explaining everything _for_ you since I am just as familiar with your tale."

"Thank you, Gandalf," Aira replied gratefully.

Gloin then approached her, his expression completely masked with shame. "Airaním…I feel utterly ashamed for being so suspicious of you," he apologized. He gestured to the rest of the Dwarves. "We all do."

"_We were wrong to accuse you of lying and hiding things from us,_" said Bifur in Khuzdul.

"But I _was_ hiding something from you," Aira corrected.

"Yes, but you had a perfectly logical and understandable reason for it," Balin replied. "A tale like that is not something anyone would go around telling everyone around them."

Dori then said, "Everything you went through was all tragic and we feel terrible."

"And we are so, so sorry," Oin added.

"You are our friend, Aira," said Nori, "and you have never been anything less to us. We, however, were not good friends to you in return by becoming suspicious and demanding an answer when we shouldn't have."

Gloin turned back to her. "What we're trying to say is…can you ever forgive us?"

Aira looked at him and then to the rest of the company. They were all glancing over at her, even the ones who had defended her, with remorseful looks in their eyes and faces. The corners of her mouth started to slightly twitch upward. These were her companions; her friends. There was no way she could stay angry with them.

Her lips curled into a full smile as she replied, "Yes, of course, I forgive all of you."

There were a few happy cheers as they all moved forward and every one of them embraced her.

Now, the entire company knew the truth and Aira finally felt the sweet relief she had waited for, for a long time. There was nothing more to hide from them. No more secrets.

It was in that moment that she felt like an entire mountain had been lifted from her shoulders…at long last.

.

**Now, everything has been made clear to you...!**

**Share your thoughts with me in a review or send me a PM!**

**After this, there will be one more chapter before I put this storyline on hiatus until Desolation of Smaug :P**

**PS: Don't forget to vote on my poll on my profile! **


	34. Promises Made

**Well, my dears...this is it. This is the last chapter that I have for this story until "Desolation of Smaug". I know some of you want me to continue into the book, but I know how I am and I know that I would want to change and follow the movie once it's out. Besides, I followed the first movie, so why not do the same with the next one? :P**

**I'm so sorry it took me forever to finish this chapter. I got a little stuck for a while and then part of me didn't want to finish writing it...but I do hope you will enjoy it :)**

**.**

After having a very trying night and emotional morning, the company decided as a whole that they were going to take the entire day to just rest and regain their strength. They figured it would be useless to try and continue when they were all tired and fatigued along with two injured companions, one of them being their leader and King and the other, his daughter. With that being decided, they set up camp—as best as they could, anyway, having not many supplies left. Mainly, some of them went out, gathered some firewood for Oin and Gloin to start a fire later.

Aira had gone back to Oin for him to finish putting herbal salves on her wounds, since she had run off before he could finish before. Once that was through and she thanked Oin, she was suddenly pulled into Dwalin's giant arms and he hugged her tightly, causing her to lose her breath for a second.

"Oh, lass!" he cried softly. "I can't even imagine how horrible it must have been for you to endure the things you did…."

He pulled back and still kept a firm grip on her shoulders. Aira noticed his eyes were wet and a stray tear fell from the corner of his eye, which surprised her a little as Dwalin seldom ever cried.

"But you are a strong one, Airaním Goldenheart," he declared. "You stayed strong and survived it all; you weathered the storm with true Dwarven strength, despite the tragedy of it all. And I promise you this: the Defiler will _never_ get his awful hands on you again or he will have me and the rest of us to answer to!"

Aira chuckled lightly and embraced him again, feeling his hand on the back of her head and resting his head on hers, and said, "Thank you, Dwalin."

It was then Bofur spoke up and said, "That reminds me: there's something you didn't tell us."

"And what was that?" Aira asked.

"Back during the storm, how _did _the pale Orc find you? Or, more importantly, how did you survive your fall?"

Aira thought back and realized that she had, in fact, forgotten to mention that to her companions. So she explained, "There really is not much to tell about that. I fell into the abyss and, partway down, I managed to grab onto a ledge. However, the rocks broke and I fell again, this time not as far. I landed on another ridge, but I hit my head as I landed and fell unconscious. I don't know how long I was out…but I woke up and then, the next thing I know, I was being grabbed from behind and then the pale Orc was suddenly staring me in the face. He had just found me while going up the mountain. Following you lot, apparently."

It was then Ori approached her. "That must have been frightening for you…seeing the pale Orc again."

She timidly nodded. "Aye, it was."

"It was just as frightening for us, too. We all thought you were dead and then we find out you're not and then he…." Ori didn't want to finish that sentence, remembering how scared he had been seeing Azog torturing Aira.

Aira saw him look away and noticed the fear in his face. _"Poor Ori…,"_ she thought. _"He may be older than I am, but he is more innocent of the ways of the world. He has never seen torture before. That must have been so terrifying for him!"_

Feeling so sorry for Ori, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Don't think about it, Ori," she said softly. "It's like what I told Fili and Kili earlier…and the same goes for the rest of you:" she cried out to the remainder of the company, "Push the thoughts you once had about me being dead out of your minds. I am alive and you never have to worry about that again."

Everyone looked at her, beaming at the happy thought.

Then Aira turned back to Ori and smiled. "And, as long as I have anything to say about it, I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

The remainder of the day was rather uneventful. Some of the company practiced sparring, some just smoked their pipes, others sharpened their weapons and then eventually some of them would nap and fall asleep.

For a little while, Bilbo told Aira stories about the Shire and Hobbits. He figured she would want to hear something pleasant and uplifting after everything she'd been through the last couple of days. She was quite fascinated with his wonderful stories and they did, indeed, help cheer her up. As the evening drew near, both of them started to get a little tired and decided they would get some rest.

Bilbo remained in the spot he was at, but Aira got up and moved to another place. She noticed Fili and Kili had started to lie down beside each other on the grass. They saw her coming and Kili, without saying a word, gestured for her to lie down with them. With a smile, she got down on her knees and crawled in between them, resting her head on Kili's shoulder and Fili rested his head on hers. Kili laid one arm underneath her head and Fili laid an arm underneath her waist. Then the two of them crossed their other arms over her stomach, cuddling her close in between them while being careful of her wounds. This, they did to help keep each other warm during the night…that and the relationship between the three young Dwarves was so deep that they didn't mind sleeping in such close proximity to each other.

Feeling their arms around her, Aira was overcome with exceedingly great love for the two Princes. When she had first met them, she never imagined that she would grow so close to them and now, she couldn't see a life without them. She felt happy and safe in their protective arms. It was clear that after everything that had happened they needed to be close to her, still cherishing the fact that she was alive.

With a content and joyful smile on her face, Aira drifted off to sleep.

The next time she awoke, it was dark out and nighttime had come. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but she realized that neither Fili nor Kili were lying next to her. Aira sat up and looked around, seeing that all the other Dwarves were asleep and there was a fire going just a few feet away.

Kili was nowhere to be seen, but Fili was sitting down next to her, staring into the fire and his hand was up by his chest. He appeared very deep in thought up until he saw Aira sit up and move.

"Are you keeping watch?" she asked him.

He shook his head and nodded off to his left. "No, Gandalf is on watch over there a ways," he answered.

Her eyes drifted down to his hand by his neck and saw that he was fumbling with Maori's ring that hung around his neck; the symbol of her love and her promise to wait for him. Judging from the gloomy and far off look in Fili's eyes as he continued to gaze at the fire, Aira could tell right away what he was thinking.

She sat up all the way and inched closer to him. "You miss Maori," she said, more as an observation than a question.

He slightly nodded, but then he hung his head and brought his free hand up to his face, sighing.

"Fili…?" Aira asked, growing concerned.

Softly, he replied, "You know that she gave me this ring as a promise that she would wait for me and I gave her a Dwarven braid as a promise that I would return for her…."

"Yes…?" she said back, wondering where he was going with this.

Lifting his head, he turned and looked at her. He looked worried and his eyes were full of sadness. Something was troubling him and Aira grew even more worried herself.

Then he asked her, "Aira, what if I made her a promise I can't keep?"

"Fili!" she exclaimed quietly. "Don't you dare start thinking that way!"

He went on to explain, "When I thought you were dead, that made me realize just how quickly our lives can change; how fast we can lose someone just in the blink of an eye. One moment, you were there and then the next, you weren't. None of us know what is going to happen to us on this journey…we all think we're skilled warriors and we will survive, but even the greatest can fall…even the mightiest warrior can be slain with just one arrow.

"I promised Maori that I would return for her when all of this is over and we would be together…but I do not know what could happen to me before the end. For all I know, she will be waiting for someone who will never return; someone who could not keep his promise to her."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Aira said firmly. "Fili, as long as I am here; as long as Kili and Thorin are here, you will get through this and you _will_ be able to keep your promise to Maori; you _will_ be with her again. You cannot undermine your promise just because you believe you may not survive this. That alone should be enough to motivate you even more to make sure you stay alive."

She laid a hand on his cheek and stroked it lightly with her thumb. "These doubts you have will only get worse if you dwell on them. You must have faith in yourself, dear Fili, and the love you share with Maori to see you through this journey so that it will lead you back to her. There is _always_ hope and you mustn't lose sight of that, for her sake and for yours."

One tear fell from Fili's eye and he smiled as Aira brushed it away. He tilted his head forward and rested it gently against hers. "Thank you…," he breathed in a choked whisper, letting loose a couple more tears into his lap. "You know how to re-kindle my hope when I need it most."

Aira lifted her head and gave him a caring smile before placing a sweet kiss on his temple and rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

Then she looked around. "Where is Kili?" she asked.

Fili shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. "I'm surprised he didn't wake you, though. He suddenly jolted awake not too long ago and then, when I woke up shortly after, he was running off into the trees. I think something startled him."

Now Aira was concerned about Kili. "I'm going to go find him," she said as she stood up. Fili gave her a reassuring nod and with that, she walked off into the trees.

Luckily, there was enough light from the moon, so she was able to see as she made her way through. She kept looking around but there was no sign of Kili. It didn't take long, however, for her to find his trail of footprints. She followed it until she spotted the Prince seated down on the grass with his back to her, his legs crossed in front of him, and his head placed in his hands.

Right away, Aira could sense that something wasn't right. Carefully, she strode up slowly behind him. "Kili…?" she asked softly.

His head lifted up, but he did not turn back to look at her.

"Darling, are you all right?"

There was a moment of silence until she heard Kili exhale loudly.

Then he spoke in a deep voice, full of contempt, "I'm going to kill him."

Aira was taken aback and stopped where she was. "Wh—what? What are you talking about? Kill who?"

"The pale Orc!" Kili responded, tossing away a small twig angrily. "I dreamt of him torturing you again... The next time I see him, I'm going to kill him for what he did to you, back on the mountain and in the past."

There was great anger and hatred in his voice. Aira didn't even know he was capable of sounding so full of disdain. She continued walking up behind him and said in return, "I wouldn't be too sure. I believe your uncle has already called that shot."

"Then I will help him," said Kili as she sat down beside him.

Aira laced her hands around his arm and clung to him. "Please, Kili," she pleaded, "do not continue to dwell on what Azog has done to me. It will only make you dark and bitter. I can already hear that in your voice."

She brought a hand to his cheek and turned his face to her, looking deeply into his eyes that were flashing with an inner fire. "My love, do not let your anger blind you. You saw what happened to your uncle. His hatred and need for revenge nearly got himself killed." Her voice began to tremble. "It was horrible for me to watch that happen to him. I could not bear it if you suffered the same fate."

Kili saw her begin to shake and then his anger was forgotten, replaced by concern and care for Aira as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him for comfort. As she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck, he rested his cheek against her hair and kissed her brow.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, feeling bad about causing her worry and knowing she was right about letting his hatred blind him. Of course, he remembered seeing his uncle charging down the tree and then being beaten by the pale Orc. He was just glad that he, Fili and Dwalin were able to make it in time to help save him, Bilbo and Aira.

The two young Dwarves stayed like this on the grass in silence, unsure of what to do or say but glad nonetheless to just be together.

Aira slid her hand across Kili's lap and grasped his hand as she said to him softly, "I suppose thing things you know about me and my past now changes everything."

Taken aback at her statement, Kili sat himself up to look at her. He gazed intently into her suddenly sad eyes. "What are you talking about?" he asked, surprised. "What on earth would you make you think that anything you told today changes anything between us?"

Aira looked down at their joined hands and opened her mouth, but no words came out, trying to find the words to explain what she meant.

But then she looked up at him, her eyes tearing up, and she said, "Kili, I am not the same Aira you once knew. I am not the same girl that you grew up with and have loved all of your life. You heard me say it: I changed when Azog held me captive. I lost my mind; I went mad. I am scarred physically as well as mentally. The woman you see before you is merely a shadow of the woman I was before I left. I may seem the same on the outward appearance, but inside, that girl is no more; replaced by a woman tainted and scarred…. And besides…how can you still want me, Kili, when I am no longer a virtuous woman? My virtue; my honor was taken from me by the Wild Men. How could you still love me and want me after learning that about me?"

Kili was wide-eyed, astonished that she was thinking such things and asking such questions. She thought he shouldn't love her because of the things the Wild Men did? There was nothing that could make him question his feelings for her, not even that!

He took her by the shoulders and looked straight into her eyes firmly. "Aira, that does _not_ count!" he stated. "Those Wild Men forced themselves upon you against your will. Your virtue would only be lost if you gave your consent, to which you did not. That could never make me not want you anymore. As far as I am concerned, your honor still remains and you are still the same virtuous woman you have always been!"

She shook her head. "But, Kili—"

"Why do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Every time you do something or something happens to you, you suddenly deem yourself unworthy of me; of my love and you try to push me away. You tried to do this back in the Shire, questioning why I did not hate you for leaving, and now you are trying to do it again now that I know of your past."

"You don't understand—"

"No, _you_ do not understand, Airaním! Listen to me!" Kili cried out, giving her a slight shake to get her to be quiet. She was having doubts about him and he was going to get through to her. There were things he wanted to say and she needed to hear.

When he was sure she was listening, he went on, "There is nothing…_nothing_ in this entire world that could ever change how I feel about you! I love you…I always have and I always will.

"You are right: you have changed…you are more beautiful than last we met and stronger, braver and smarter. I have never met a more courageous woman than you! And you think the fact that you are physically scarred changes things? If anything, that makes me love you even more! They are the symbols of endurance, showing that you are a survivor of despicable cruelty. And you told me yourself that your scars helped make you who you are; that they are a part of you. I may loathe the fact that you were ever hurt and subject to such horrible things, but the reminders you have of that do not change how I feel. I love every part of you, your scars included."

Slowly, he raised a hand up to her cheek and she leaned into his touch, tears gradually falling from her eyes. His endearing words overcame her with such love and she could sense he felt the same.

He continued in a firm, affectionate and unwavering voice, "From the first moment I knew you, all I've ever wanted was to see you happy. When we met, you were stricken with grief over your father's death and I hated seeing you so miserable and sad. From that moment on, I took an oath to make sure you would be happy again and that you would always be happy.

"You mean everything to me, Aira. I care for you to the deepest part of my soul. I will always be with you and will protect you, no matter what. Do not ever think that there is anything that will make me question my love for you in any way, because there is no power in all of Middle-Earth that will ever cause me to do so. I love you with all that I am and my heart belongs to you. It always has. My life is with you. My future is with _you_, Aira!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Kili leaned forward and kissed Aira hard yet lovingly and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her against him. His kiss was so full of his emotions, more than ever before. Aira's cheeks were wet with tears from listening to his words of devotion and they fell onto his face as she raised a hand to his head and pressed his lips closer to hers, sighing into his kiss.

She had been so wrong to think things between her and Kili could ever change. Why had she ever thought her past would alter his feelings for her? He had told her countless times that he loved her and proved it time and again. How could she still doubt that?

Kili was the love of her life. She was the love of his. He was devoted to her in every way and he had been since they were children. His heart was hers completely. There was no one else like him in the world and Aira was so thankful that he was hers and that she was his.

As much as she didn't want to, Aira broke the kiss, breathing heavily, and she wrapped her arms around Kili's neck, hugging him closely.

"Oh, Kili, I am so sorry!" she gasped as he hugged her back. "I don't know why I always doubt you or the love we have together. I've been through so much and sometimes I question whether some things in my life are truly real…like you. Being with you has changed my life in so many ways in such a short time and I continue to wonder what I ever did to deserve you. I _don't_ deserve you, Kili…and yet you stay with me and I with you. I love you…so…_so_ much…and my heart is yours forever. You are my life and I was wrong to think that things between us could ever change because of what happened to me. Thank you for proving me wrong."

Kili chuckled. "That may be the only time I'll ever hear you say that," he said jokingly.

A small laugh escaped Aira's mouth at his remark, remembering just how much she adored his wit. She then laid her head down on Kili's shoulder, taking in his natural warmth, and he rested his head on top of hers, placing gentle kisses in her hair.

The two young Dwarves stayed like this in each other's arms. There was nothing else but the two of them together and their love which was strong, unyielding and true.

However, there was something that was running through Kili's mind; something that he had been thinking about earlier that day and had come back to him after every word he had just said to Aira. It was one last thing he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure just how to do it. It was something he had never done before and he thought that maybe it was too soon.

Just then, Aira lifted her head and Kili looked into her beautiful, loving brown eyes that were sparkling in the moonlight…just like they had the night in the Shire...the night it all began.

He knew then that the moment was right.

Kili touched his forehead to Aira's and took a deep breath before speaking two simple yet very powerful words that took every ounce of his courage to say:

"Marry me."

Aira quietly gasped, thinking her mind was suddenly playing tricks on her. Her heart stopped and then shortly began to race again.

_"Did he just…?"_ she thought to herself.

She pulled back and gawked at him, wide-eyed. "Wh—what…?" was all she could stammer out, being too surprised and caught off guard.

He smiled brightly. "Marry me, Aira," he repeated fervently.

All she could do was stare at him with her mouth hanging slightly open, unable to speak.

To fill her silence, Kili kept talking, suddenly finding the courage to speak of something he had been so unsure of and hesitant to ask about earlier. "Yesterday, I thought I lost you and I could not see anything in my future without you. I realized that a life without you with me is one I don't wish to live. I want my future and your future to become _our_ future." He took her hands in his. "I want to have a life with you. We have already spent a majority of our lives together…why stop now? Why not spend eternity together?"

He lightly ran his hand over one of her braids by her ear and then kissed her softly. "When I first thought about this, I had planned to ask you after we reclaimed Erebor…but then, as I said, yesterday I believed all chances of that were lost and it nearly destroyed me. Then after that awful scare, I was so relieved and overjoyed that you were alive and I just realized I don't want to wait any longer. I need to know if this is what you want, too."

Closing his eyes, Kili pressed his forehead against Aira's again and said, "I love you, Airaním…and I ask you: when we take back Erebor…would you wish to spend the rest of your days with me…as my wife?"

There was nothing to describe how overwhelmed with emotions Aira was in that moment. She was happy and positively ecstatic, yet at the same time she was nervous and a little scared, hesitating to answer right away. Of course she wanted to have a life with him, but what if she promised to marry Kili and then something happened to either of them before it could come true? They both would be making a promise they potentially wouldn't be able to keep.

But then, Aira remembered her conversation with Fili from earlier on and how he had had the same fear concerning his promise with Maori. Then she recalled the words of advice she had given to him:

_"You cannot undermine your promise just because you believe you may not survive this. That alone should be enough to motivate you even more to make sure you stay alive."_

She realized that she was right and now, she needed to follow her own advice.

Something else that she had told Fili came to mind, but then she changed a few words to make it fit for her situation as she thought, directing it to herself:

_"You must have faith in yourself, Aira, and the love you share with Kili to see you through this journey so that it will lead you back to him…and back home. There is always hope and you mustn't lose sight of that, for his sake and for yours."_

With those few words in mind, Aira was no longer afraid to give her answer.

She lifted her head, met Kili's adoring gaze and smiled perhaps the brightest he had ever seen in his life, causing his own lips to twitch upward in anticipation.

"Yes…," she breathed with a cheerful tone. "Yes! Yes, Kili, I will be your wife!"

With his heart about ready to burst with pure happiness, Kili cried out joyfully as he shifted and stood up, picking up Aira around the waist and spinning her around in circles. The both of them were laughing and crying happily as they clung to each other.

What they once thought to be the unthinkable had happened. Kili and Aira were engaged; to be married after the journey was over.

Soon, Kili got dizzy, lost his balance and collapsed back down onto his back in the grass with Aira right on top of him. The two of them continued to laugh as quietly as they could so as to not startle or wake anyone in the company way back in the camp.

Aira, with a smile still on her face, bent her head down and pressed her lips to Kili's with a great deal of passion, feeling his strong arms slip their way around her back and waist.

She pulled back, letting her mouth hover slightly over his, and nuzzled his nose. "You make me the happiest Dwarf-woman in the world, my Prince," she whispered endearingly.

Kili smiled. "And you make _me_ the happiest Dwarf in the world, my Princess," he replied in the same manner.

Then his smile faded. "I'm sorry I did not ask you properly with a ring and everything…," he said timidly.

Aira grinned and shook her head. "Kili, when have you ever known me to fuss over anything as trivial as jewelry?" she asked rhetorically. She smiled down at him again. "I do not need a ring to know that you love me and wish to be my husband."

"But I will see to it that you get one eventually when all of this is over," said Kili, smirking.

"We still have a long way to go."

"I know…but I am not afraid. I have everything I need to help me get through this journey: my friends…Uncle Thorin…Fili…and you."

Aira shook her head again and then kissed him once more before laying her head down on Kili's chest, hearing his pounding heart inside.

His heart…that would always belong to her and was hers eternally.

She could feel the tendrils of sleep starting to take hold on her and, judging by Kili's slower breathing, she could tell it was the same for him.

Cuddling right up against him, Aira whispered to Kili, "You told me this once and now I will say it to you: you, Kili, are all I need to be with forevermore."

She felt him tenderly kiss her temple and whisper back to her before they both drifted off to a peaceful sleep in each other's arms,

"Forevermore."

.

**And that is the end of Part 1 for "Home Is Where the Heart Is". As a result from the votes on my poll, I will complete this story and then start a separate Part 2 story that will follow "Desolation of Smaug". Don't you worry, lovelies, this storyline is far from over! it will only just be on a 4 to 5 month hiatus and will continue in the Part 2 :) I do hope none of you will judge me for that decision or won't be too sad.**

**Thank you, first of all, to ZabuzasGirl for helping me through a good majority of this story with ideas and giving me advice!**

**Secondly, thank you to mrsmiawallace88 for being my most loyal reader, reviewer and friend throughout this entire story and for always encouraging me :)**

**And lastly, of course, to all of my other loyal readers and reviewers! I would thank each of you individually, but that would take a long time :P lol Thank you so much for your support! You all are super awesome and I'm so glad you all liked and followed my story! I never thought it would be so well-received! But, as Thorin says, "I have never been so wrong in all my life!" ^^**

**If you'd still like a story of mine to follow while waiting these next few months, I have my Thorin story "Love Is Patient" that I'll be focusing on! :) And who knows? Maybe another fanfic idea will come about! Anything's possible xD**

**Until December, my friends :) Du bekar!**


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